*A Bank Street Best Book of 2025*
*A July/August 2024 Indie Next Pick*
*A Maine Chickadee Award Nominee*
Description
Five starred reviews!
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?
Reviews
★ "Ferry's warm-voiced text is filled with botanic metaphors while Keane's dusky, blue-smudged palette strikes a tone of blooming shadows without verging too far into gloominess. Front and back matter list and describe Prunella's favorite plants, making the book a strong recommendation for any blossoming purple-thumbed readers as well as children needing reassurance that whatever they love, someone else will love it--and them--too."
★ "This is not only a unique story with a strong message, but the spotlight on lesser-appreciated plants makes this book a must-buy."
★ "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."