 | |
| Author | Jennifer Wojtowicz |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | children's picture book |
| Publisher | Barefoot Books |
Publication date | October 5, 2005 |
| Pages | 32 pgs |
| ISBN | 1841486868 |
The Boy Who Grew Flowers is a children's picture book written by Jennifer Wojtowicz and illustrated by Steve Adams. Wojtowicz has stated that she was inspired to write the book due to her relationship with her autistic brother. [1] The book has been adapted into a stage play. [2]
The Boy Who Grew Flowers follows the character of Rink Bowagon, a little boy disliked among his peers that has the ability to sprout flowers on his body on full moons. This changes one day when a new girl named Angelina starts attending his class, causing Rink to become enamored of her. Rink has no way of knowing that like him, Angelina also has something special about her that he will eventually discover during the school's full moon dance.
Critical response to the book was positive. Reviewers for the School Library Journal called it "A lovely story about celebrating differences." In addition, the School Library Journal praised the "luminous scenes and soulful relationship between Rink and Angelina". [3] [4] The Stage wrote that the book's message might be "a little sophisticated and hidden away for the lower end of the target age group." However, The Stage liked that the book expressed "the mother’s dialogue solely in musical phrases and the giant school satchel which Rink uses to hide his blushes - and his petunias." [5] Booklist praised the book, calling it an "odd, lovely offering". [6] Publishers Weekly positively reviewed the book, citing "If the narrative doesn't follow through on its early promise of helping young readers understand the beauty of being different, it will remind them of the power of kindness." [7] Wired News praised the book's artwork while saying that "the fantasy on which the story is based prevents, I think, most little kids from realizing the message is there, even while they absorb it." [8]
Cynthia Rylant is an American author and librarian. She has written more than 100 children's books, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Several of her books have won awards, including her novel Missing May, which won the 1993 Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, which was a 1987 Newbery Honor book. Two of her books are Caldecott Honor Books.
John H. Ritter is an American novelist, short story writer, teacher, and lecturer. He has written six novels and numerous short stories spanning the historical, sports, and sociopolitical genres in the young adult field of literature. His first novel, Choosing Up Sides, published in 1998, won the 1999 International Reading Association Children's Book Award for Older Readers and was designated an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Kirkus Reviews praised Choosing Up Sides, which attacked the once-prevalent views of religious fundamentalists toward left-handed children, as, "No ordinary baseball book, this is a rare first novel." In 2004 Ritter received the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People for his third novel, The Boy Who Saved Baseball.
A Mango-Shaped Space is a 2003 young adult novel by the American author Wendy Mass. A Mango-Shaped Space is Mass's fourth fiction novel. The book received the American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award in 2004. The novel has since been nominated for, and received, a number of other awards. The hand lettering on the cover is by Billy Kelly. The book is recommended for grades 5-8. A 7-hour long audiobook version, narrated by Danielle Ferland, has been produced.
Tommy Trouble and the Magic Marble is a children's novel written by Ralph Fletcher and illustrated by Ben Caldwell. It was first published in 2000.
Magic Shop is a series of children fantasy novels by Bruce Coville. The books revolve around the mysterious magic supplies store run by an old man named S.H. Elives. Each book follows a child who stumbles into the store and acquires a magical being or object of tremendous magical strength and abilities.
The Mysterious Benedict Society is a quartet of children's books by Trenton Lee Stewart chronicling the adventures of four children, initially gathered together by the eccentric Mr. Benedict. The first children's novels written by Stewart, each of the first three books were published annually from 2007 to 2009, with the fourth installment following a decade later. A prequel novel detailing the backstory of Nicholas Benedict was released in 2012.
Epic Horse is a historical fiction series by author Victoria Holmes. There are three books in the series each following a new heroine and setting. The idea was first thought of when Holmes worked for Working Partners and came up of a historical fiction story. Each book has separate inspirations and influences on the time period and characters.
Beautiful Darkness is a young-adult fantasy novel written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The second novel in the Caster Chronicles, it was published by Little, Brown on October 12, 2010.
Extra Credit is a 2009 children's novel written by Andrew Clements. The work was first published on June 23, 2009 through Simon & Schuster and follows a young schoolgirl who is given the option of receiving extra credit by writing to an overseas pen pal in a small Afghanistan village. The book won a Christopher Award for Books for Young People in 2010.
Beautiful Creatures is a 2009 American young adult novel written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and the first book in the Caster Chronicles series. The book was published on December 1, 2009, by Little, Brown, and Company. In the UK, Beautiful Creatures is published by Penguin Books.
Weedflower is a 2006 American children's historical novel by Cynthia Kadohata, the author of the award-winning Kira-Kira. The cover photography of the first edition is by Kamil Vojnar. The story is set in the United States during World War II and told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Japanese-American Sumiko. A 6.5 hours long audiobook version of Weedflower, read by Kimberly Farr, has been published.
Ungifted is a 2012 children's novel by Gordon Korman, which contains 31 chapters and 280 pages. The story is told with chapters of alternating perspectives. The plot revolves around Donovan Curtis, a troublemaker that gets wrapped up in a major prank gone wrong. Due to an accident caused by the superintendent, Donovan gets sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a school for gifted and talented students. The rest of the novel is spent on Donovan avoiding being caught while helping the students of ASD through his own special gifts.
Kristy Dempsey is a children's book author currently living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She won the 2015 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text on her book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream.
The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon is a 2010 children's novel by David Almond, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. It is about a boy, Paul, who wants to touch the sky; he climbs a ladder to the Moon and goes inside.
Hello, Universe is a 2017 novel written by Erin Entrada Kelly. The novel is told from the perspectives of four middle school students as one of them becomes trapped in a well. Hello, Universe won the 2018 Newbery Medal.
Julie C. Dao is a Vietnamese-American fantasy author. She is best known for her debut novel, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, an East Asian-inspired retelling of the Evil Queen legend from Snow White, and its sequel Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix.
Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star is a 2018 picture book written and illustrated by Grace Lin. The story is about Little Star gradually eating the mooncake that her mother has baked. The book was a departure for Lin both thematically and in her use of illustrative style. The book was well reviewed and was awarded a Caldecott Honor. The illustrations feature heavy use of black and rely on both the pictures and words to convey the story and its themes.
Hello, Baby! is a 2009 Children's picture book by Mem Fox, and illustrated by Steve Jenkins. In this book the narrator asks the reader whether they are various animals.
Tiger Flowers is a 1994 picture book written by Patricia Quinlan and illustrated by Janet Wilson. It tells the story of a young boy who reflects on his memories of his uncle who has recently died from AIDS, and was published by Dial Books for Young Readers on May 1, 1994. Critics generally praised the book for presenting the difficult topics of AIDS and death to a younger audience, as well as Wilson's illustrations. It was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 1995.
