Kirsten Ealand, (text) and Laura Stitzel (illustrator), The Big Backyard Plan, Affirm Press, February, 2025, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922992444
Azumi, Theo, Bree and Jack
Lived side-by-side and back-to-back.
These four kids are neighbours and friends who love to play together. Although their yards abut, their fences don’t have gates and it’s a long walk around the block to reach each other’s house. So they come up with a plan. Why don’t they convince their parents to dispense with the fences altogether? The children explain to their parents all the benefits this would create. They could all help harvest the home-grown veggies and share their garden tools, while creating a space that would attract beneficial insects and native birds and frogs.
How the parents respond to the children’s request and the eventual outcome makes for a hopeful and heart-warming conclusion.
Kirsten wrote this book to show that it is possible to create a more thrutopian world, where neighbours can share resources and space and where kids can have more fun!
Laura Stitzel uses watercolour, ink and paint to create bright and lively pictures that will engage young readers. Her use of aerial perspective is particularly effective, letting us see the whole yard as it becomes a shared space, full of movement and activity.
This book will inspire families to reassess how they live in their communities and the possibility of sharing resources with their neighbours and friends.
Recommended for ages 3-7
Reviewed by Gaby Meares
