Secret Gardeners - by Lina Laurent (Hardcover)

About the Book

Detailed information about all aspects of gardening is packaged into a heartfelt story of community action in which three bright children, with the help of neighborhood volunteers, bring new life and hope to a forgotten garden.

Book Synopsis

When three children stumble into an overgrown city yard, they end up elbows-deep in an urban gardening project that replenishes the earth and unites a community.

With the mentorship of Amy, a neighbor who is well-versed in no-dig gardening, Luna, Bianca, and Billy set to work mixing manure, spreading mulch, and sowing seeds. After a few weeks of hard work, the yard is transformed into a sustainable community garden, and more and more people are showing up to grow herbs, mushrooms, vegetables, and fruit. Just when everyone is beginning to harvest their hard-earned local food, they learn that the property is going to be cleared for a parking lot. Will this be the end of their secret garden? Or can the children rally their community to save the day?

In Secret Gardeners, journalist and beekeeper Lina Laurent collaborates with author and illustrator Maija Hurme to tell a story of community solidarity and ecological stewardship. Woven among the dreamlike illustrations are informative notes about soil life, composting, seed starting, beekeeping, wild pollinators, and more. An exquisite blend of fiction and nonfiction that will equip readers with all the information and inspiration they need to begin their own no-dig garden...and maybe even their own community project.

Review Quotes

2025 Bank Street College of Education "Best Children's Books of the Year" Selection

2025 Green Earth Book Award Nominee (Short-listed)

The Children's Book Council "Hot off the Press" Selection

"The text thoughtfully blends facts with the story and promotes a deeper connection with the natural world, whether readers are in an urban or rural setting--or somewhere in between....Highly recommended." --School Library Journal ★ Starred Review

"While the main text is fiction, this gem of a picture book is teeming with instructive facts....and the warm watercolor illustrations reveal details of the gardening methods and the wide variety of life growing above and below ground. Fun and encouraging for kids eager to garden." --Booklist

"Three young city dwellers help create a community garden....readers will come away with plenty of insights about gardening....Sunny colored pencil-crayon drawings brim with information....A nimble combination of mystery, activism, and gardening instruction." --Kirkus Reviews

"With lovely illustrations and a magical blend of nonfiction and fictional mystery, this book is a winner!" --Youth Services Book Review

"In addition to the fun story, each page is teeming with facts about gardening, pollinators, and the like....The warm colored pencil-crayon illustrations are gorgeous....Highly recommend!" --YA Books Central

"A gentle story of three young children discovering the world of gardening and the magic of working together to grow food and create a community....It is hard to imagine a better way for parents, caregivers, schools, and public libraries to invest in the future." --CM Magazine

"Stories like this one are helpful tools for teaching good stewardship of the earth and community building. Yet, perhaps most importantly, it nurtures a wonder, for nature and all the amazing gifts and ways our earth lives and breathes." --CLCD - Children's Literature