Mr. Goethe's Garden

I don't care for the illustrations. I would rather have had all the illustrations be of plants and nature, rather than trying to illustrate the human form. The story however is very meaningful, and a nice introduction to Goethe.

This book celebrates nature and art, in particular the process of drawing flowers. The story introduces the reader to a real person, but only some basic and vague information about him. The focus of the book is on the girl's own growing interest in drawing nature. (There is biographical information in the back of the book to supplement the story). The illustrations are the strongest feature of the book. For parents of young and/or sensitive children: note that Mr. Goethe dies during the course of the story. It is handled gently and it's part of the girl's maturation process, but I myself was a bit shocked when reading it since she becomes quite attached to him. My 5-year old daughter was OK with it. She enjoyed the book and we will probably read it from time to time, but I can't say it's a huge favorite. I almost chose 3 stars but leaned towards 4 because it is unique and thoughtful.