Prunella

Beth Ferry, Claire Keane

Book cover for Prunella
Book cover for Prunella

Prunella

Prunella

Beth Ferry, Claire Keane

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Description

From New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry comes a fantastical and unforgettable picture book about an unusual girl whose purple thumb helps her cultivate a truly macabre garden.

When Prunella is born with a purple thumb instead of a green one like her parents, everyone's stumped. What could it mean? Before long, they find out. Prunella prefers corpse flowers to carnations, fungi to ferns, and poison ivy to petunias. The stickier and scarier the plant, the more Prunella loves it.

And if her poisonous and noxious garden keeps the other neighborhood kids away, it's probably for the best. But then one day, a curious weed of a different sort pops up...

Should prickly Prunella uproot this tentative new friendship or allow it to flower?

About the Author

Beth Ferry is the author of numerous picture books for children including Roar for Reading, Prunella, and the New York Times bestseller Stick and Stone. She is an avid reader who believes that any day spent with a book is a perfect day. Beth lives with her family by the beach in New Jersey where she finds inspiration in the salty air. In addition to writing picture books, Beth also writes chapter books and graphic novels. You can learn more at BethFerry.com.

Claire Keane studied graphic design at École Supérieure d'Arts Graphiques in Paris, France, where she lived for eight years, until she moved to Los Angeles to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. During her ten-year tenure there, she designed for Tangled, Frozen, Enchanted, and other films. In 2013, she left to dedicate her time to creating her own stories and to work on various book and animation collaborations at her studio in Venice Beach, California. Now, she is the author and illustrator of many books for kids, including Once Upon a Cloud, Love Is, Why?, and Prunella.

Critical Reviews

"Alliterative prose by Ferry (The Christmassy Cactus) and digital artwork by Keane (Make Way), rendered in luxuriant, jewel-toned colors and balletic, inky lines, prove as lovely as a warted puffball as they chronicle Prunella's journey from isolation to connection--the protagonist's sense of relief at finally finding her people is palpable and deeply reassuring." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Couple Beth Ferry's clever wordplay with Claire Keane's detailed illustrations, and you've got a book that is sure to resonate with young readers, especially those who have ever felt they didn't fit in."--BookPage, STARRED REVIEW

"Prunella is delightful as a grumpy but confident protagonist, knowing what she likes and unwilling to give her passion up just to fit in, while the neighbor kid's wide-eyed enthusiasm is absolutely infectious. Dialogue in speech bubbles complements the narrative text, adding both emotion and explanation along with the actual plant names and characteristics....Aspiring botanists will find this utterly irresistible..."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Grounded in both nature and nurture: a tale sure to affirm the nonconformist's spirit."--Kirkus Reviews

★ "This delightful picture book cleverly shows how good things grow by following your interests and cultivating genuine connections."--Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Publishing Information

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub date: 2024-07-16
Length: 40 pages

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