The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham

A timely, inspiring, and uplifting story about hope and the power of creative expression from one of the world’s most treasured storytellers

After a long, cold winter, doors finally open, and children spill out like candies from a box. Amanda is the last one out of the apartment building, with a carton of chalk in her hands. On every inch of the pavement outside, the children draw pictures of flowers and trees, mushrooms and snails, and a few very unexpected things. It’s a concrete garden. Their creativity, unfettered in the open air, brings something beautiful, something hopeful, to the residents there, and to many more across the globe. From master storyteller Bob Graham comes a charming, gentle post-pandemic story about finding optimism after a dark spell, and the nurturing power of community friendships in an urban setting. The Concrete Garden will resonate with anyone who has been apart from their loved ones, and will encourage us all to find the brightness and color within ourselves.

Bob Graham is a Kate Greenaway–winning storyteller who has written and illustrated many acclaimed children’s picture books, including “Let’s Get a Pup!” Said Kate; How to Heal a Broken Wing; April and Esme, Tooth Fairies; The Underhills: A Tooth Fairy Story; Max; Maxine; Ellie’s Dragon; and Jigsaw: Mystery in the Mail. Bob Graham lives in Australia.