If you’ve ever wondered about the magic hidden in gardens—beyond the flowers and vegetables—then Picture A Garden by Linda Hornberg is a delightful book to explore. Published by Peanut Butter Publishing and a book tour sponsored by iRead Book Tours, this middle-grade nonfiction book is packed with fascinating facts, charming stories, and beautifully hand-drawn illustrations that bring the world of gardening to life.
As a bonus, Linda Hornberg also provided a guest post titled "Coloring Outside the Lines," where she shares what inspired her to create this book. Her passion for nature and art shines through in both her words and her illustrations. There is also a fun giveaway!
Coloring Outside the Lines
by Linda Hornberg
I can’t seem to stay in the box I’m supposed to select. It’s not that I’m still trying to find myself, or choose the color of my parachute— it has more to do with the fact that ideas come to me from all directions, and I want to entertain them all. As a result, I draw cartoons (both topical/political and comical/absurd), I dash off poem-lets (some of them would make great commercial jingles for non-existent products), I come up with band, album, and restaurant names. I am partway into three nonfiction manuscripts (two historical, one hysterical) and a collection of semi-fictional short story memoirs. I jump around among them, depending on my mood, and can’t seem to finish any one of them, which is how I ended up publishing a gardening book.
Picture a Garden happened after I had accumulated fifty-six thousand typed words for my history/genealogy book about the melting pot of my Indigenous and conquistador ancestors in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Colombia, and was stuck on how to proceed. I was excited! I was obsessed! I had spent seven years tracing the conquering line back all the way to 10th Century Iberia. I had untangled one semi-famous Spanish figure into two, then three, then six different eponymous men, conflated together, everywhere I had read, in well-respected reference works and academic dissertations. Surely I could contribute to the historical record? The project would be illustrated (by me, of course), with maps, charts, portraits and cartoons about the disastrous fates met by the pillaging antiheroes. It could be formatted after the style of an Aztec codex. I had it all visualized; but was such a project commercially viable? Would it cost a fortune to produce, and would any publisher take it on? (“Yes”, to question one, and , “not bloody likely”, to the second.) And thus was I encouraged, as a debut author, to write ‘something with a broader appeal’.
Writers are admonished to “write what you know”, and I know plants. I have gardened my entire life; I have studied prairie botany and horticulture. I hug trees. I am a certified prune-aholic. (Let me prune your woody plants, or at least teach you how, because there are far too many crimes of butchery being committed against the garden tree!) I spent 25 years in retail plant sales, answering questions about garden design, companion planting, leaf spots, crawling pests, propagation, soil health and “which pot do you like better”.
I have also spent a lot of time around kids (as a classroom assistant and reading coach) and animals (as a shelter volunteer and pet foster). I love to play with words, and doodle images of anything and everything. The result of all these propensities is Picture a Garden, a hand-drawn, hand-lettered collection of odd little stories about plants, animals, people, philosophy, and nutrition, for children, adults, and anyone in between.
Enjoy!
Thank you, Linda, for this story about how you found your inspiration. Be sure to read my review of "Picture a Garden" below and enter the giveaway to win a copy for yourself!
My Review of Picture a Garden
This book isn’t your typical gardening guide. Instead, it reads like an encyclopedia or journal filled with fun facts and engaging stories sprinkled across each page. Whether you want to know about a specific plant or learn a cool gardening trick, Picture A Garden is the kind of book you’ll want to keep handy whenever curiosity strikes. The author invites readers to embrace nature with enthusiasm—encouraging them to set aside their screens, grab a trowel, and start digging into the wonders of the world outside.
The Best Part? The Illustrations and Layout!
The hand-drawn illustrations throughout the book are its strongest feature. They add warmth, creativity, and a touch of whimsy, making each page feel like a peek into someone’s personal gardening journal. The font choice is another fun element—it gives the book a cozy, handwritten feel, which adds to its charm.
However, while the illustrations within the book are fantastic, the cover art falls a bit flat. I wish the author had chosen a more eye-catching cover that matched the vibrant and engaging content inside. A more striking design might have drawn in more readers at first glance.
Who Is This Book For?
While marketed as a middle-grade nonfiction book for ages 8-12, I personally see it as more of an adult novelty book—perfect for anyone who loves quirky, well-illustrated books about nature. That said, kids will likely enjoy it too, especially those with a budding interest in gardening.
Final Thoughts
Picture A Garden is an engaging and informative read, blending fun facts with a storytelling approach that makes gardening feel exciting. While the cover could have been stronger, the interior design, illustrations, and unique format make this a book worth keeping on your shelf. Whether you’re an adult looking for a charming garden-themed coffee table book or a young reader eager to learn about nature in a fun way, this book offers something special.
🌱 Final Rating: 3.75/5🌱
✔️ Fantastic hand-drawn illustrations
✔️ Fun, journal-like layout
✔️ A great reference book for gardening questions
❌ Cover could be more eye-catching
Would you pick up Picture A Garden? Let me know your thoughts! 🌿📖
This book is my publishing debut, and I'd like to thank Kim for the warm reception! The cover was the final task I had to complete before the manuscript was digitized (formatted with page numbers, smudges photoshopped out) and sent off to the printing house. My hands and eyeballs were quite undone by then, after five months of six-day weeks spent drawing and hand-lettering (a writing "aha") 140-plus pages! It was a labor of love, and if it survives the market long enough to justify a second printing, I may revamp the cover. Enjoy!