Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel Paperback – 15 June 2021

This book was about the change if a sour and fretful girl named mary to the curious child along with dickon and colin, they showed happiness to mr. Craven

The story was simple and sweet. The art was pretty nice and aesthetically pleasing. I enjoyed reading the story and travelled back to my childhood in this nostalgic trip.

3.8 StarsThis illustrated children’s book is an abridged version of the original work, The Secret Garden. The book is great for kids who like more pictures than words. However, I do wish the graphics were a little more charming. The feeling of magic, which is crucial for the story, doesn’t seem to come out to its fullest. Still, the book is a nice little read to teach kids about plants, nature, friendship, and affection. I’m really glad that the author chose not to use the part about India in her illustrated work. Giving kids biased and one-sided views of a country they aren’t familiar with wouldn’t be good.Overall, this is a cute and sweet version of the original book for the little munchkins.I received an ARC from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I first read Secret Garden when in primary school, when I was myself living in a former British mining colony similar to the one Mary must have grown up in. I keep rereading it and reliving the innocence of the time when I first read it. This graphic novel does full justice to the memories.

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite children’s books. I love the entire story (except for one part; more on that later) and all the characters, Dickon and Martha being my special favourites. So seeing the graphic version of this novel is a nostalgic experience.You might already know the original story. Mary’s parents, who live in colonial India, die suddenly of cholera and she is shipped off to one of her distance uncles in England. While initially a spoiled brat, she is soon set right by the friendly maid Martha. Under her loving tutelage, Mary learns to enjoy the outdoors, find new friends and even love herself. The secret garden she discovers on the grounds is central to this changeover.The book is quite charming and cute. It moves very quickly as there are many pages with only graphics and not much dialogue. Unfortunately, the story gets a few abrupt jumps at times and I can’t help feeling that chaptered sections would have worked better in explaining the sudden scene shifts.While the illustrations of the garden and house are excellent, the children could have drawn in a cuter way. The book will still be appealing to all its readers because the story is en evergreen one that speaks of nature and its enjoyment. I hope this graphic novel spurs the children to read the classic book too.What I have always hated in the original story is the colonial setting. While I am sometimes forgiving of the classic authors for being so racist and stereotyped in their thinking about “the natives”, I found it hurtful that the author Frances Hodgson Burnett had never even visited India and merely used whatever she had heard to create a picture of India under British rule. So here comes the great news: the graphic version does away entirely with the India part of the story and begins with Mary travelling to her uncle’s house. The note by the author at the end of the book states that the Indian part has been skipped out as “it doesn’t do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India.” Heck, yeah! I am usually against significant parts of the story being left out in the graphic version, but in this case, I wholeheartedly support this decision and am grateful to whoever took that creative call. A big THANK YOU. A extra half star to the book for this decision and the honest note mentioning the same. I would have gone with 3.75 stars for the book but now I go with 4.25.

Hermoso libro, muy cozy, excelente para leer en poco tiempo. Con un bonito mensaje e ilustraciones. Lo recomiendo para lectores jóvenes.

I was so happy to see this in graphic novel form! My daughter won’t read anything unless it’s a graphic novel. She devoured this and then we watched the movie together. It was perfect.

A story of magic told in a magical way. The Secret Garden, one of the most beautiful stories told in modern times, in a beautifully illustrated version.

My daughter loves this graphic novel. It is a fun way to read a classic!

The Secret Garden is my favorite book and I love this version. My niece prefers graphic novels and this will be such a nice way to share the story with her.