Mrs Noah's Garden

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Jackie Morris, illustrated by James Mayhew

Interest age: 4 to 5

Published by Otter-Barry Books, 2020

Adventure
Around the world
Picture books

About this book

Inspired by the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, the central character in this charming picture book is the strong, compassionate and quietly determined figure of Mrs Noah.

Having safely loaded pairs of animals onto the ark and successfully navigated the flood waters, Mr and Mrs Noah finally reach dry land. While Mr Noah concentrates on transforming their enormous boat into a house on the hill, Mrs Noah turns her attention to the outside space.

She desperately misses the garden she left behind, so decides to transform the land surrounding their new home. With the help of her children and some mythical creatures she secretly rescued from the flood, she sets about clearing and cultivating the ground. Together, they plant trees, shrubs, bushes and bulbs, and finally scatter the multitude of seeds she carried in the many deep pockets of her cloak. Then, they wait patiently for the magic of new life to unfold.

The stunning collage illustrations are full of colour, texture and movement, evoking the beauty and magic of a botanical paradise. A gorgeous sequel to Mrs Noah’s Pockets, this delightful picture book is a mesmerising tale of hope and rebirth.

About the author

Jackie Morris is a British writer and illustrator. Morris was born in Birmingham in 1961. Her family moved to Evesham when she was four. As a child she was told that she couldn't be an artist, but despite this information being drilled into her by teachers she decided to throw caution to the wind and learn to paint.

On leaving college she found work in editorial, illustrating magazines like Radio Times, New Statesman, New Society and Country Living. She worked for years illustrating books and in 2005 her book The Seal Children won the Tir Na N-Og Award. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Something About a Bear, which she later won in 2019 for her illustration of The Lost Words, book of poetry by Robert Macfarlane with illustrations by Morris.