As a gardener who practices permaculture and focuses on creating habitat for various creatures in her yard, I really thought this would be the book for me. I love the topic and am very happy to see such a helpful idea explored in a children's book!
I enjoyed the art style but sometimes found the story told in the images slightly difficult to follow. (Why do we need to remove the grill to have a pond?) I think most of what this book does is encourage kids to ask for a wild garden and give parents a starting point for what to look into.
The kids are initially inspired by a jungle scene, and they're not going to get that or those types of animals in their UK backyard. I can imagine that being disappointing to a kid. I think the real joy of a wild garden is seeing how a mostly barren landscape can become full of life, mostly insect and bird life, and some of that is portrayed in this book.
I also don't think this is practical enough with advice for parents on how to realistically begin. Small steps like eliminating the use of pesticides and keeping one patch of the lawn long makes this more feasible for people and is a huge benefit.
Overall the book has good intentions and is solid, but it did not have enough practical information for my preferences.

This is a great children's book about the possibilities of nature, and how not everything has to be the same or serve the same purpose it always has. I really loved the illustrated pages throughout the book that didn't have words, to let my daughter practice making verbal observations and hypothesis.

I think that, for what the author was going for, this is a good book. However, I also think that the idea might not be perfect. What I mean by this is the things this book is teaching might start some behaviors that will annoy parents. For example, leaving wood in your yard to rot for insects isn't exactly ideal. Same with letting your grass grow by not mowing it: it makes your yard look unkempt and is against city code in most areas. Kids will read this book and beg their parents not to mow the lawn so that they can start their own wildlife garden, which is just not realistic. However, that being said, I do think that there are some good teachings in this book. For example, caring for wildlife and being interested in the outdoors. This is very important, and could also lead to kids discovering a new passion/hobby. Put simply, I think that the idea was great, it was just executed poorly. Lastly, I thought that the variety and detail of the illustrations was awesome! It makes the book interactive, and will inspire readers to look for these organisms in their own surroundings. This is perfect, especially for young readers. Bravo, illustrator!

This beautifully illustrated children’s book captivates young readers with its vibrant artwork and engaging narrative. The story follows two children and their parents who discover the magic of gardening, learning about different plants, the importance of nature, and the joy of nurturing life. Each page bursts with color, making the world of gardening come alive and inspiring creativity and curiosity.

The gentle, rhyming text is easy to follow, making it perfect for read-aloud sessions. The book seamlessly combines education with imagination, teaching children about the growth process and the value of patience and care.

Ideal for children aged 4-8, this book not only entertains but also encourages a love for nature and the outdoors. It’s a delightful addition to any child’s library, sparking an interest in gardening and sustainability while nurturing a sense of wonder about the natural world. A must-read for budding gardeners and young nature enthusiasts alike!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The illustrations in this book were simply gorgeous! I love that it introduces kids to the concept of wilding in an easy and understandable way. It was an easy read and something I could see myself pouring over the illustrations with my kids. I also appreciated that it included extra information at the end on wilding, as it's not always easy to accomplish in a suburban setting with HOA restrictions. I would definitely suggest including this book in your child's library to expose them to the importance of nature and what we can do to impact our immediate surroundings.

I was given a free copy of this from NetGalley for my honest review.

This was a cute book. It's starts with children sitting in their backyard watching their parents and how they keep things tidy. But they learn about wild life and nature taking over areas again. They explain to their parents how they would love to see a wild garden and see wild animals come. Their parents agree. It's a beautiful book about nature and wild life around us and how we can help towards the end.

Ali and Poppy are happy to play in their parents’ pristine but rather boring garden, until one day they discover wild gardening at school. Through their eyes and own gardening transformation, the reader is introduced to the process and benefits of this kind of garden. It’s wonderfully illustrated and clearly explained. Children will definitely find it intriguing.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

what a sweet story, beautiful graphics and a great lesson about being kind to nature. Definitely going to keep this one on my list for gifts

This book is such a solid homeschool book! The illustrations are beautiful. The information is factual and interesting. The book goes through the seasons, what plants/animals need and how we can help them thrive. No climate shaming. Just kids wanting to help the world and parents encouraging it. Loved t!

What a beautiful book about creating wild space for plants and animals!

I love that the children in this story had an idea, and their parents supported them in making it happen. This will be such an inspiring story for children to hear, that they can help make changes to support and enjoy wildlife in their own backyard!

It’s great that the book gives tips and ideas for how to create your own wild garden.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin children’s books for allowing me to review a copy of this book.

The illustrations in this are insanely pretty!! I love the wild garden and all the wildlife in the backyard! The story was good too, seemed more of an informal way to teach kids about growing wild gardens more than entertaining but still super cool!

This book was okay. As a preschool teacher I am always looking for books that my students would like. This one had potential but it was not to entertaining. This illustrations were very nice though.

I thought this was a very cute book about how to make a wild garden, and a child's imagination. It is very informative on what certain animals and insects bring at what time of year also.

This book inspires children to allow part of their yards or gardens to be “wild” in order to give animals and insects a place to thrive. It presents the topic in both a fun and educational way. The tips at the end of the book serve as a bonus. Very pretty pictures of flowers, grass, plants with lots of detail!

Nature books are, I believe, some of the most important picture books to introduce to children at a young age. This book introduces the idea of letting your personal home garden "go wild" in an effort to invite many different types of animals and bugs to your yard. While there are some great ideas in here (like a small pond and growing more wildflowers), it may not be applicable to everyone. The illustrations show the family in a suburban area in the UK, but this won't translate very well to U.S. residents who live in HOA neighborhoods. Some people are truly unable to just let their lawn grow without mowing and to let hedges grow wild (especially in fire prone areas). Unfortunately, this will only apply to families that have bigger pieces of land without any limitations or rules of lawn care. Because of this, my children won't be able to do much with the info given. However, I still love the idea of this book and the illustrations are so sweet (I'm really bothered by the mother's nose though! It's disproportionately bigger than the rest of the family). The last page of the book encourages readers that they don't HAVE to do it ALL, they can just start with one or two things (install a bird bath size pond if you can, or plants flowers to encourage pollinators, or provide seeds for birds in winter). This is a great idea for a book, but it just won't make sense for those of us who live in the city or suburban neighborhoods.

Our Wild Garden chronicles one family's transformation from a plain lawn to a garden, as told from an onlooking Robin's perspective. The Robin comments on all of the ways that the family is making the lawn better: a pond is being built to attract frogs and birds, letting the flowerbed grow "a bit wild" to attract more butterflies, and ditching the lawnmower to make a wildflower meadow. Beautiful illustrations and informative-yet-digestible text make this a wonderful introduction to wild gardening for families.

This book goes over how to grow your own wild garden! I thought this book was beautiful and a wonderful way to get children excited about wildlife and gardening. The illustrations in this book are breathtaking and do a wonderful job at showing different wild life. If you're interested in starting your own wild garden I recommend checking this book out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story is about two children who want to build a garden in their backyard after being inspired by wildlife. They want their own wildlife in their backyard versus watching it only on tv.

I thought this was very sweet, I enjoyed the illustrations. I read this to my niece and she also thought it was so cute. She is now excited to have a garden one day, where lady bugs and butterfly’s can visit her.

I do think some of the writing is a little awkward, however I loved how the ending provided extra tips for our own gardens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this ARC

I have four kids, and taught preschool for five years, and this book is an absolute gem for little kids! Mine cherished every word, every page, and we read it two times back to back. I wish I had this when I was teaching. It was phenomenal. Add into your kids bookshelves.

This book was such a sweet way to make being out in nature exciting for little ones. Children nurture their creativity when they are connected with nature and doing so allows them to flourish in other areas of their life, and books like this will help spark an interest. I also loved how this book gave helpful and age appropriate facts about what different elements of nature need to thrive. A great story, and the illustrations are beautiful!