This was a great story for younger kids - probably generally ages 4-10 would be my rough estimate. The message is one of conservation and rewilding and covers a lot of examples of a backyard undergoing a transformation from manicured and "perfect" to wild and full of different wildlife. I appreciated the couple of pages at the end that gave additional perspective on starting small, not "having" to do everything suggested in the book and giving some tangible resources for investigating more.

There were a few grammatical things that didn't read quite right for me, which may just be because this one was written from a more Eurocentric point of view, so that could account for the differences. The illustrations are beautiful and very realistic - I loved the emphasis on the different wildlife creatures and the transformation of the family's backyard and environment. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

How ridiculously adorable and informative!

The illustrations are beautiful!

I certainly want to plant a WILD garden now!

Our Wild Garden is a beautiful picture book guide to making your back yard a better home for wildlife. While being England-focused, anyone with outdoor space can make accommodations to welcome more wildlife. Grass lawns are a waste of water, while wildflower fields are great for the environment and the ecosystem. This is a great read for any child interested in nature and animals.
Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge lover of all things wild, I have always pushed for less lawns and more natural habitats. This book does a great job of explaining why Wild Gardens are beneficial for all times of flora, fungi, and fauna, including humans. I think every Kentuckian should read this. While we love our Bluegrass, we also should cultivate our wild lands, including those in our yards. This book teaches small little steps to create more habitable spaces for all nature.

I found this book really interesting. I love a book that teaches kids about new stuff they never would have thought about. The whole unwilding a yard is such an interesting concept to even me so I imagine to a child it would be magical. I loved the sheet idea and I even think I would do that with my nieces and nephews. Such a great idea. The book was very vibrant and I loved all the different animals that were coming into the garden. I enjoyed at the ending the author even included reasons why and how to do things like about hedgehogs have to travel so far for food and it's nice to give them a little area to sleep when they hibernate. I can definitely see myself purchasing this book for my nieces and nephews.

Siblings Poppy and Ali live with their parents in a house with a small, tidy garden that their parents put effort into keeping kempt. However, there isn’t much for the siblings to do or enjoy in their yard. After learning about rewilding at school, “They start to dream about letting the wild into THEIR garden and all the adventures they could have.” Slowly, their parents add to their garden, creating a havitat for birds, bugs, and wild animals. After adding a pond and making their yard vecome a meadow full of grasses, sticks, and wildflowers, there are more animals nearby than ever. Each double-page spread shows the beauty of nature through portraits of animals and plants. The many shades of brown and green present in nature are on full display. Though the number of animals present on some pages isn’t realistic for a backyard, the book does share the benefits of rewilding, and it procudes information at the end on how it can be done.

A secret narrator reveals itself, just as a re-wilded garden reveals its many wonders.

This lusciously illustrated story reminds me that just like with children, I can allow the wild to be itself, simply by giving it time, water and space to be itself. At least, that’s what a little bird told me…

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this DRC with me for an honest review.

Five glowing stars. I absolutely loved this book and want to turn our yard into a wild garden. The illustrations are beautiful. My 6 year old was overjoyed at the pictures and the story.

I loved this! It's a beautiful book and it teaches some great tips and tricks on how to be more environmentally friendly when gardening

Our Wild Garden is a charmingly illustrated and kindly informative book about environmentally friendly yardcare tips and tricks. The book also gives ideas for fun back yard biology projects, from setting up a pond, to adding a woodpile to attract all kinds of fun insects. Featuring a bi-racial brother and sister, the children ask their parents if they can rewild their yard, providing an example healthy conversation for any child who reads the book to model. The book empathetically mentions the yardcare habits of most parents that children will have to discuss with them and offer more environmentally friendly alternatives, preparing their persuasive skills. Not only is this book informative, it also prepares children to contradict the yard culture of their parent's generation with useful points to make.

The enchanting illustrations of Our Wild Garden colorful and detail packed. Birds of all shapes and sizes decorate each page drawn in loose-handed ink and filled with water-color-like digital brush. I can tell the author studied photographes of various species of India and England to execute each picture with such detail. From rotting wood, to moth mosaics, to tropical jungles, to wildflower fields, the book captures a vivid flourishing ecology to capture the interest of young minds.

I recommend this book to teachers or parents who want to begin a unit of biology, ecology, or environmentalism, and want to plant the seeds in their children for some fun science projects to set up in the backyard or the schoolyard. This book also reminded me of a field trip to a natural history museum. With a didactic and informative tone, and with little to no humor, this book is additionally fitting for guest speakers, field trip site representatives, and other such one-foot-in-the-professional-world ambassadors children may meet throughout their education, for a script connecting the link between children's anecdotal backyard observations, and the new place they are touring.

Thank you to the author and the publishers for providing me with a free ARC.

This book has some absolutely beautiful illustrations and a great story of how everyone can make an impact on the environment.

This is a good picture book which emphasizes the beauty and importance of nature in all locales. A wild garden can be made by anyone, consisting of various elements and ecosystems. Daniel Seton highlights how kids can take charge in cultivating the natural, even in their back yards. Seton positions the kids as those taking action, with bright ideas and a zeal for the natural world that readers will gravitate toward. Equal parts informative and heartfelt, this is a great story.

Very cute book for bedtime reading. My kids like the illustrations and how it describes reintroduction of the wild into your own backyard. This is great way for kids to get back to nature and learn more about their surroundings. Loved every part of this book!

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.