Marigold Garden

Kate GreenawayProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Marigold Garden by Kate GreenawayAuthor: Greenaway, Kate, 1846-1901,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 14, 2006

Editor's review

Marigold Garden is an illustrated poetry collection created by Kate Greenaway and a classic of children's literature. Its greatest value lies in combining short nursery-rhyme verses with the author's signature watercolor illustrations, presenting a pastoral charm and childlike perspective characteristic of the Victorian era. Greenaway's illustrations are known for delicate lines, soft colors, and carefully designed children's clothing; the pictures have independent appeal, so this is not only a poetry collection for children but also a reference for enthusiasts of illustration art and book design. In a bilingual or English-only edition, the poems are short with a light rhythm, making the book suitable as reading-aloud material for beginning English learners. Note that this edition is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain electronic text, formatted mainly as plain text; whether illustrations are included depends on the specific file, so the reading experience differs from that of a printed picture book. Overall, this is a small book suited to casual browsing, parent-child reading, or study of illustration style.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Parents looking for English nursery rhymes for parent-child reading
Readers interested in Victorian illustration and children's book art
English learners who need short English poems as reading-aloud material
Beginners in the study of children's literature or illustration history

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting children's books with a complete plot and strong storytelling
Readers seeking a picture book with high-quality color illustrations
Parents looking for modern educational ideas or contemporary-themed children's books

Reading tips

First browse the whole book alongside the illustrations to take in the atmosphere, then read the verses aloud one by one.
During parent-child reading, slow the pace and let children point out the flowers, plants, and figures in the pictures.
English learners can choose two or three short poems a day to read aloud, paying attention to rhyme and rhythm.
If using a plain-text electronic edition, find an illustrated edition to appreciate alongside it.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a storybook or a poetry collection?

It is closer to an illustrated poetry collection, made up of short nursery-rhyme verses and Greenaway's illustrations, with no complete story running throughout. You can enjoy each poem on its own and need not read them in order.

Can I see all the illustrations in the electronic edition?

Project Gutenberg provides a public-domain electronic text formatted mainly as text; whether illustrations are included and how clear they are depends on the specific file. If the pictures matter to you, look for an illustrated edition or a printed picture book to read alongside it.

What age of child is it suitable for?

In terms of content, the short poems and pastoral pictures suit preschool and early primary school children to browse with an adult. Whether it suits a particular child also depends on their English level and reading habits; parents may wish to look through it themselves first.

Is the English difficult?

The poems are short, the vocabulary is fairly simple, and the rhythm is strong, making them suitable for beginning English reading aloud. Some words, however, have a Victorian flavor; when you meet unfamiliar ones, consult notes or a dictionary, and there is no need to read every word closely.

Comments

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About the author

Kate Greenaway Author · British · 1846–1901

Kate Greenaway (1846–1901) was an English artist, author, and children's illustrator of the Victorian era. She is known for picture books such as Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children, A Apple Pie, Marigold Garden, and Language of Flowers. Her works often draw on children's lives and nature, combining nursery rhymes and short verses with delicate illustrations. The children she depicted usually wear Queen Anne–style clothing; her graceful figures and soft colors form a fresh, distinctive personal style that has had a lasting influence on later children's illustration. The Kate Greenaway Medal, the highest honor for children's illustration in the UK, is named after her. Four of her works are held in this collection. Public information is limited, so details of her life are not elaborated here.