"Once upon a time . . ." Isn't that the way all fairy tales begin? Flower Green is a modern fairy tale that begins this way as well, with a bird dropping a seed into a magical garden. When the tiny sprout springs up, her name is "Flower Green." A fairy godmother hands her three gifts: a pair of magic slippers, a bag of magic coins, and some magic crayons. With these gifts, Flower Green dances her way through the garden, juggling her coins and delighting the other flower sprouts. One day, as she dances in a dewdrop, her magic crayons create "flowerettes," tiny sprout children. But much to Flower Green's dismay, the dewdrops melt before the crayons can rub color into the flowerettes. Flower Green sets out to find a way to sprinkle the colors of the rainbow into these pale little sprouts. The beautiful flowers of the garden are invited to a party and are asked to bring something of their own to sprinkle on the flowerettes. Rainbow colors are soon spilling into the garden and onto the baby flowerettes. And, as in all good fairy tales, they ". . . danced happily ever after."

Flower Green is an eye-pleasing, vibrant romp through a magical garden. The full-color illustrations are the main attraction in this 32-page, hardcover, library-quality picture book for children ages four to eight. Each page delights the eye with fairy-like flower sprouts leaping, dancing, spinning, and skipping through the story. There's "Daffy Dill" bringing a splash of yellow, "Tulip Bulb," "Rosie Rosa," and "Pansy Bloom" running across the pages holding their party invitations, and "Sally Sunflower" flashing a sunny smile. Although the storyline itself is a bit thin, the pictures make up for the lack of any real plot.

In addition to the book, a delightful bonus can be found here: http://www.images-press.com/animations/animationStart.php?movieID=flower. The entire book is not only read aloud but is animated as well. Colorful fonts swirl, the sprouts dance, and the background music adds to the story and pictures. It's great fun and well worth the view.

Product review by Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, LLC, May 2010