Mrs. McGee's Garden is a creative tale that teaches the lesson "just be yourself." Its main character, "Whitman," is a grass envious of his attractive flower garden friends. Whitman goes on a journey to win the heart and acceptance of Mrs. McGee, the garden owner. But when he tries to impersonate a flower, Whitman's journey leads him down a path of trouble that exposes him to Mrs. McGee. "Whitman hung his head low and accepted his demise, but what McGee did next was quite a surprise." Mrs. McGee's surprise reminds us that it's our differences than make us beautiful and that in the end, self acceptance is more important than fitting in. Mrs. McGee's Garden presents a few more lessons - "don't be envious of others" and "appreciate everything around you," in a very entertaining and effective way. The colorful and captivating artwork makes the characters emotionally engaging. This book is an excellent story for parents to read with their kids, and for early readers to master on their own. Parents will enjoy watching their kids relate to the characters in real life, the next time they're out playing on the grass.
About the Author
This is Lan Nguyen's first children's book. Lan was born in Guam, as her parents journeyed from Vietnam to the United States. She spent her early life in Pensacola, Florida and later came to the Midwest and received a B.S. degree in BioMedical Engineering from Northwestern University. Lan currently lives in Chicago with her husband Steve and their two small children, where she practices being a full-time mom and a part-time design engineer for a medical device company. With help from her husband Steve Starke, Lan also created the illustrations in this engaging tale.