The Curious Garden Activities and Comprehension Questions
Do your students struggle with perseverance and patience? Read on to find The Curious Garden activities and comprehension questions to discuss how one committed person can make a difference.
In The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, Liam’s hard work and dedication pay off when he shows the town it is not too late to improve the environment and their community. It is a great choice to promote how:
- hard work and perseverance pay off
- one person can make a difference
- nature is important to our wellbeing
- communities can work together to create something positive in their neighborhood.
The book also gives you the opportunity to teach:
- Cause & Effect
- Character Traits
- Inferring and Predicting
- Main Idea and Theme
- Making Connections
- Retelling, Sequencing and Summarizing
Scroll down for The Curious Garden activities, discussion questions and videos.
The Curious Garden Summary
Inspired by New York City’s High Line, ‘The Curious Garden’ illustrates how one person can make a difference to the environment.
Liam loves to be outside, but he lives in a city “without gardens or trees or greenery of any kind.” His curiosity leads him to explore a derelict, elevated railway track he has often wondered about. He discovers some dying flowers and decides to care for them. He has a few problems but soon learns what plants need to thrive. His dedication and perseverance pay off when the flowers grow and spread over the train tracks.
During the winter, Liam is forced to spend less time outside, but he uses his time to improve his gardening knowledge. The following spring, Liam heads back outside to put his new knowledge into practice. The garden expands throughout the city, inspiring others to take up gardening. Soon nature covers the entire city and its residents come out of their homes to garden, socialize and enjoy their surroundings.
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Publisher: Little Brown Book Group (2009)
ISBN: 9780316015479
Take a look inside
Peter Brown Official Website
Related Books
- Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
- Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot
- Luna & Me: The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
- The Tin Forest by Helen Ward
- Belonging by Jeannie Baker
- The Cloud Spinner by Michael Catchpool
- Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Tomorrow Book by Jackie French
- Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
The Curious Garden Activities & Resources
I have created literacy graphic organizers for The Curious Garden. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:
- Author’s Purpose
- Cause & Effect
- Character Traits and Analysis
- Comprehension Questions and Writing Prompts
- Inferring and Predicting
- Main Idea and Theme
- Making Connections
- Point of View
- Problem and Solution
- Retelling, Sequencing and Summarizing
*Click on these links to discover book recommendations on these topics.
The Curious Garden Activities & Links
- Kidz Meadow Kindergarten & Childcare Centres: Educator’s Guide for The Curious Garden
- Learning to Give: Earth Keepers
- Learning to Give: Phil’s Garden of Good
- Little, Brown: The Curious Garden Educator Guide
- NSW Government: SPaRK – The Curious Garden
FREE The Curious Garden Activities
Would you like free graphic organisers for The Curious Garden?
I have a freebie that is part of a larger resource so you can try it out before buying anything!
Fill in the form below to get access to the FREE pack. Click on the image to see the full pack on Teachers Pay Teachers.
The Curious Garden Read-Aloud Questions
Read aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits and strategies, reading fluency, tone and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.
- Why do you think the book is called The Curious Garden?
- Why does the city look so dreary?
- Would you like to live in this city? Why/Why not?
- Why did Liam explore the old railway track?
- Why do you think Liam didn’t give up?
- What caused the garden to spread throughout the city?
- Compare the first spread of the city with the last. Describe how the city transformed.
- How would you describe Liam?
- How do the people of the city change throughout the story? How do you know?
- How does Liam show perseverance?
- How do the illustrations change through the story?
You can find a full set of discussion cards in The Curious Garden Activities and Literacy Pack or as a separate pack.
The Curious Garden Book Videos
Books by Peter Brown
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