“In the middle of our country there was a city.
In the middle of our city there was a garden.
The city was grey and sad, but the garden was bright and beautiful
Once, before the war came, there were trees on every corner.
Now, this was the last garden left.”
The Last Garden is a story of kindness and courage
It is a story of war, peace and hope
Beautifully written by Rachel Ip
With stunning illustrations by Anneli Bray
This is a story that every child should read
That shows how nature and people are connected
It is a story inspired by true events in Syria
And war gardens around the world and through history
As the war rages on, Zara looks after her garden
She grows fruits, flowers, herbs and vegetables
For the people of her city
Other children come to work and play in the garden
A place they can be together and feel safe
A place from which they can take food and flowers
To brighten homes and cheer up injured friends in hospital
But still the bombs fall
Cracking the roads and shaking the houses
As war rumbles on
A sadness spreads through the city
The children no longer play
But they continue to come to the garden
Until one day they are not allowed in Zara’s garden anymore
Nowhere was safe in the city
It was time to leave
Zara’s garden lay empty and alone
But it was still growing
Waiting for the children to return
Zara’s garden grew all through the war
And when the children returned it was full of life and colour
It was filled to bursting with hope
A place for the children to come together and play
And slowly like the garden
Their city and their lives blossomed again
This is such a wonderful story
A brilliant way of talking to young children about war, displacement and migration
A stunning illustration of the power and resilience of nature
And how we can be healed and soothed by the world around us
To plant a garden is to have hope
And to believe in tomorrow
This wonderful story is the perfect illustration of that