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Fables from the Garden
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables from the Garden. University of Hawaii Press (2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822-1888, USA ), 1998. 40pp. ISBN 0-8248-2036-3 (hc), $14.95. Notes. Illus. (col). Acid –Free (alk. paper).
Leslie Ann Hayashi and Kathleen Wong Bishop’s Fables from the Garden presents ten short children’s stories using the flora and fauna of Hawaii. Each story concludes with a moral, much like Aesop’s Fables. The book includes “Notes About the Garden” which gives scientific information about each of the plants and animals featured in the stories.
The book opens with the story of a potted plant placed in a garden of roses. The roses can’t seem to figure out what that unusual plant is and are curious about whether it is real or not since there is no soil in the pot, and if it sways in the breeze as they do. When the plant’s purple buds bloom one day, the roses are in awe of the beautiful blossoms and their faint fragrance. The roses and orchid come to realize that “Friends respect, appreciate, and even celebrate each other’s differences.” This would make a great starting point for a discussion about respect, acceptance and friendship. Another story is about a dragonfly nymph who as an egg became separated from the other eggs and grows to wonder who she is and why she is so different from the other creatures around her. One day an old turtle finally tells her that she is a dragonfly, like the one flying above the water. She finds this hard to believe at first, but knows in her heart that it is true. Each time she changes, she is more convinced that she will become that beautiful dragonfly she had seen. When she finally emerges with her shimmering wings she flies to find her brothers and sisters. The moral being “Listen to your heart to find your true self.” This story would provide an opportunity to introduce guidance lessons about believing in one self and individuals’ unique qualities. The final story tells of a frog that ventures out of the garden to the ocean with a sea bird and realizes that “When we journey beyond our own gardens we realize the splendor of the world.” I was given a bit of inside information that the final story gives a clue to the theme of the next book. Can you guess what the next book was? Just this tidbit of information will keep children wondering with anticipation for the upcoming book.
Writer Leslie Ann Hayashi is a graduate of Leilehua High School and received her Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Stanford University. She later graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with her Juris Doctor degree and currently serves as a district court judge in Honolulu. She and husband Alan Van Etten reside in Honolulu where they raised their sons Justin and Taylor. In 1995 she was the Grand Prize Winner in the Honolulu Magazine / Borders Books and Music fiction contest for her “Thoughts for a Dead Japanese Fisherman.” Illustrator Kathleen Wong Bishop is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and Stanford University. She has been a community activist, a city planner, an educator, a Sunday School teacher and is currently the Christian Education Coordinator at Shepard of the Hills Church. She is excited about her career as an artist and has done artist talks, where she brings her original paintings, for many schools in Hawaii. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she and her husband David raised their three children Lisa, David and Rachel. In the second grade, childhood friends Leslie and Kathleen had a dream to one day write and illustrate books together. Fables from the Garden was their dream come true as their debut book. Since then they have written Fables From the Sea, Fables From the Deep and Fables From Beneath the Rainbow.
Fables from the Garden is a beautifully illustrated book featuring Hawaii’s own animals and plants. Kudos to the author for including scientific information about the Hawaiian animals and plants featured in the stories. The short stories and their valuable life lessons along with the full page color illustrations will keep children’s attention throughout the book. The inspiration for much of the artwork in the book came from the Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley and would provide a special personal connection for school children and residents of the valley. I would recommend this book for children ages 4 to 8 years old, although adults can enjoy it as well. This hardcover book with full page color illustrations printing on high quality acid-free paper would become a timeless addition to an elementary school as well as a public library. This reviewer highly recommends this book.
Other Works Mentioned:
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From the Sea, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2000.
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From the Deep. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2002.
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From Beneath the Rainbow. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2005.
Leslie Ann Hayashi and Kathleen Wong Bishop’s Fables from the Garden presents ten short children’s stories using the flora and fauna of Hawaii. Each story concludes with a moral, much like Aesop’s Fables. The book includes “Notes About the Garden” which gives scientific information about each of the plants and animals featured in the stories.
The book opens with the story of a potted plant placed in a garden of roses. The roses can’t seem to figure out what that unusual plant is and are curious about whether it is real or not since there is no soil in the pot, and if it sways in the breeze as they do. When the plant’s purple buds bloom one day, the roses are in awe of the beautiful blossoms and their faint fragrance. The roses and orchid come to realize that “Friends respect, appreciate, and even celebrate each other’s differences.” This would make a great starting point for a discussion about respect, acceptance and friendship. Another story is about a dragonfly nymph who as an egg became separated from the other eggs and grows to wonder who she is and why she is so different from the other creatures around her. One day an old turtle finally tells her that she is a dragonfly, like the one flying above the water. She finds this hard to believe at first, but knows in her heart that it is true. Each time she changes, she is more convinced that she will become that beautiful dragonfly she had seen. When she finally emerges with her shimmering wings she flies to find her brothers and sisters. The moral being “Listen to your heart to find your true self.” This story would provide an opportunity to introduce guidance lessons about believing in one self and individuals’ unique qualities. The final story tells of a frog that ventures out of the garden to the ocean with a sea bird and realizes that “When we journey beyond our own gardens we realize the splendor of the world.” I was given a bit of inside information that the final story gives a clue to the theme of the next book. Can you guess what the next book was? Just this tidbit of information will keep children wondering with anticipation for the upcoming book.
Writer Leslie Ann Hayashi is a graduate of Leilehua High School and received her Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Stanford University. She later graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with her Juris Doctor degree and currently serves as a district court judge in Honolulu. She and husband Alan Van Etten reside in Honolulu where they raised their sons Justin and Taylor. In 1995 she was the Grand Prize Winner in the Honolulu Magazine / Borders Books and Music fiction contest for her “Thoughts for a Dead Japanese Fisherman.” Illustrator Kathleen Wong Bishop is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and Stanford University. She has been a community activist, a city planner, an educator, a Sunday School teacher and is currently the Christian Education Coordinator at Shepard of the Hills Church. She is excited about her career as an artist and has done artist talks, where she brings her original paintings, for many schools in Hawaii. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she and her husband David raised their three children Lisa, David and Rachel. In the second grade, childhood friends Leslie and Kathleen had a dream to one day write and illustrate books together. Fables from the Garden was their dream come true as their debut book. Since then they have written Fables From the Sea, Fables From the Deep and Fables From Beneath the Rainbow.
Fables from the Garden is a beautifully illustrated book featuring Hawaii’s own animals and plants. Kudos to the author for including scientific information about the Hawaiian animals and plants featured in the stories. The short stories and their valuable life lessons along with the full page color illustrations will keep children’s attention throughout the book. The inspiration for much of the artwork in the book came from the Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley and would provide a special personal connection for school children and residents of the valley. I would recommend this book for children ages 4 to 8 years old, although adults can enjoy it as well. This hardcover book with full page color illustrations printing on high quality acid-free paper would become a timeless addition to an elementary school as well as a public library. This reviewer highly recommends this book.
Submitted by Lori Chun, LIS Student, University of Hawaii at Manoa, May 2007.
Other Works Mentioned:
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From the Sea, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2000.
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From the Deep. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2002.
Hayashi, Leslie Ann and Kathleen Wong Bishop (illustrator), Fables From Beneath the Rainbow. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2005.
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