holly bloom's garden

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nancy Parent is the author of over75 children’s books includingOh Bother! It’s the Easter Bunny(PW Children's bestseller). She wasthe script supervisor on Disney’s“The Little Mermaid” and worked

as Senior Editor of Disney’s Mouse Works imprintwhere she wrote and developed several lines of books.Nancy lives in South Pasadena, California.

Sarah Ashman is a writer and editorspecializing in comics and humor.She was Director of Comic Art atUnited Feature Syndicate where sheacquired and developed ScottAdams’ Dilbert and Pat Brady’s Roseis Rose, among others. The many

comics she has edited include Peanuts by CharlesSchulz and Garfield by Jim Davis. Sarah lives inTarrytown, New York.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Lori Mitchell is an award-winningillustrator whose first children’sbook, Different Just Like Me, was anABA Kids Pick of the Lists in 1999and appeared on Oprah! Lori alsoworks as an editorial and advertising

illustrator, and lives in San Diego, California.

HOLLY BLOOM’SGARDEN

Late bloomer Holly yearns to be a greatgardener but doesn’t seem to have theknack. Despite suggestions and supportfrom green-thumbed mom, Iris, andsiblings, Rose and Bud, Holly just can’t gether garden to grow. She waters andfertilizes and uses all the right gardeningtools, but her daffodils droop and herpetunias look pathetic.

Holly, disappointed but not discouraged, isdetermined to succeed. Armed with apositive attitude and unwaveringpersistence, she finally understands herartistic father’s creative advice, “There aremany different kinds of tools. You justneed to find the ones that work for you.”This encouragement sparks a burst ofinspiration, and Holly plants a garden thatsurprises everyone.

This inspiring story of perseverance andself-discovery is lush with luminous colorillustrations. Holly Bloom’s Garden teachesplenty about gardening, but more aboutthe importance of being yourself andfinding your own true talents – even if thatmakes you a late bloomer.

Ho

lly B

lo

om

’s G

arden

ash

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aren

t m

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Flashlight PressNew York

www.FlashlightPress.com

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group

$15.95 US

$23.95 CAN

ISBN 0-972-92250-4

5 1 5 9 5

9 780972 922500

Written by Sarah Ashman and Nancy ParentIllustrated by Lori Mitchell


ISBN 978-1-936261-09-3Print ISBN 978-0-972922-50-0

A special thank you to the Lipson Family, Susan, Barry, Elle, Ian, and especially Lainey, for posing for the book.

Copyright © 2004 by Flashlight PressText copyright © 2004 by Sarah Ashman and Nancy Parent

Illustrations copyright © 2004 by Lori Mitchell

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form.Printed at Hemed Press, Israel.

First Edition – April 2004.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2003116494

Editor: Shari Dash GreenspanGraphic Design: The Virtual Paintbrush

Title Design: Dean MitchellThis book was typeset in Adobe Garamond.

Illustrations were created using black Prismacolor pencil and acrylic paint on Arches hotpress watercolor paper.


Flashlight Press • 3709 13th Avenue • Brooklyn, NY 11218www.FlashlightPress.com

To both Howards, big and little; to Ron and Michael and, of course, to the original Holly Bloom.

– Sarah Ashman and Nancy Parent

I dedicate this book to my mom, Snip, who has encouraged me to draw ever since I could hold a crayon.

– Lori Mitchell

HOLLY BLOOM felt as grouchy as the thorns on a rosebush.No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make her f lowers grow.

“Don’t worry, Sweetpea,” said Holly’s mother, Iris.“Some people, like some f lowers, take longer to bloom.They’re called late bloomers.Keep trying. Your f lowers will grow soon.”

“I’ll plant a garden for you,” said Holly’s older sister, Rosie,who had not been a late bloomer. Rosie’s f lowers werefamous all over town.

But Holly did not want Rosie to plant a garden for her.She wanted to plant her own.

What I really need, thought Holly, is a green thumb.Mama says people who can grow f lowers have a green thumb.

So Holly took out her paint box,mixed together some blue and yellow paint,and gave herself a green thumb.

Then she went outside and planted some new f lowers.

But Holly’s green thumb disappeared before dinner.And her dahlias drooped before she’d even had dessert.

Maybe fertilizer would help, thought Holly.But the fertilizer tickled Holly’s nose and her sneezes blew it all away.

Her brother Bud said, “You need to find the right tools.”So Holly looked in the shed.

First, Holly tried a hoe.She worked until she’d made a perfect patch of dirt.Then she dug some holes in the ground with a trowel.Into each hole she put a f lower.

Holly filled a watering can and carried it back to the gardento give her f lowers a little drink. But the watering can wasso heavy she accidentally soaked them.

In the morning, Holly ran to the windowto check on her f lowers.Her daisies had wilted and her petunias looked pathetic.

“I guess I didn’t use the right tools,” thought Holly,going back to the shed.

“What’s up, Ladybug?” asked Holly’s father, Harold.

“I want to grow f lowers like Mom and Bud and Rosie,”Holly said, “but I don’t have the right tools.”

“Hmmm,” said her father. “There are many different kinds of tools.You just need to find the ones that work for you.”

Holly nodded, but she didn’t know what other tools to try.

Holly walked sadly through the gardenlooking at all the pretty f lowers that her mother,sister and brother had planted. Their bluebellswere brilliant, their gardenias were glorious andtheir daffodils were simply dazzling.

Wherever Holly Bloom lookedsomeone else’s f lowers were blooming.

That night, Holly’s parents tucked her into bed.“Good night, Ladybug,” said her father, kissing Holly on the forehead.“Sleep tight, Sweetpea,” said her mother, turning off the light.

But Holly wasn’t ready to sleep.She had thought of a way to make her garden grow.

When everyone had gone to bed, Holly tiptoed intoher father’s art studio. His brushes and paint tubes wereall over the room, but Holly found what she neededin the special corner her father had made for her.

Holly worked in the studio all night without making any noise.

In the morning, Holly’s father put breakfast on the tablewhile her mother arranged some snapdragons in a vase.

“Wake up, Holly! Time for breakfast!” her father called.

Holly’s muff led voice came from inside her father’s studio.“Just a minute,” she replied.

"Holly!” her mother cried. “Were you in there all night?”

“Come on out, Ladybug,” said her father with a grin.

Slowly the door opened and there stood Holly Bloom,surrounded by f lowers. Oh, what a garden she’d grown!There were tissue paper tulips, crepe paper chrysanthemumsand pipe cleaner pansies. Her f lowers were made of paperand paste and sparkles and paint. They were full of life, andguaranteed to last forever.

And best of all,they were grownespecially byHolly Bloom.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nancy Parent is the author of over75 children’s books includingOh Bother! It’s the Easter Bunny(PW Children's bestseller). She wasthe script supervisor on Disney’s“The Little Mermaid” and worked

as Senior Editor of Disney’s Mouse Works imprintwhere she wrote and developed several lines of books.Nancy lives in South Pasadena, California.

Sarah Ashman is a writer and editorspecializing in comics and humor.She was Director of Comic Art atUnited Feature Syndicate where sheacquired and developed ScottAdams’ Dilbert and Pat Brady’s Roseis Rose, among others. The many

comics she has edited include Peanuts by CharlesSchulz and Garfield by Jim Davis. Sarah lives inTarrytown, New York.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Lori Mitchell is an award-winningillustrator whose first children’sbook, Different Just Like Me, was anABA Kids Pick of the Lists in 1999and appeared on Oprah! Lori alsoworks as an editorial and advertising

illustrator, and lives in San Diego, California.

HOLLY BLOOM’SGARDEN

Late bloomer Holly yearns to be a greatgardener but doesn’t seem to have theknack. Despite suggestions and supportfrom green-thumbed mom, Iris, andsiblings, Rose and Bud, Holly just can’t gether garden to grow. She waters andfertilizes and uses all the right gardeningtools, but her daffodils droop and herpetunias look pathetic.

Holly, disappointed but not discouraged, isdetermined to succeed. Armed with apositive attitude and unwaveringpersistence, she finally understands herartistic father’s creative advice, “There aremany different kinds of tools. You justneed to find the ones that work for you.”This encouragement sparks a burst ofinspiration, and Holly plants a garden thatsurprises everyone.

This inspiring story of perseverance andself-discovery is lush with luminous colorillustrations. Holly Bloom’s Garden teachesplenty about gardening, but more aboutthe importance of being yourself andfinding your own true talents – even if thatmakes you a late bloomer.

Ho

lly B

lo

om

’s G

arden

ash

man

an

d p

aren

t m

itch

ell


www.FlashlightPress.com


$15.95 US

$23.95 CAN

ISBN 0-972-92250-4

5 1 5 9 5

9 780972 922500

holly bloom's garden

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