Peter Brown... Curious.

Just ran across Peter Brown's book The Curious Garden. 
     In the book, Liam discovers a patch of wildflowers that are trying to survive in the city.  Liam discovers the joy of being a gardener and rejuvenates the garden... which goes about exploring the city as it is tended, bringin a new look to the city.  The book brightens as the garden grows stronger; the illustrations are so unique and the style of the illustrations caught my eye.  Liam tends his garden with care and even a song or two and eventually color overtakes the dull, gray drabness of the city.  The city is transformed into a green, colorful place of beauty and bounty.  There's an underlying message in the book of stewardship and care of our surroundings.  I thought this was a perfect cousin text to Eve Bunting's book Secret Place.  It would be interesting to read both during a study of synthesis and see where the reading leads...
     I read an online interview with Peter Brown and he was asked What is your idea of bliss?  His answer:  "My idea of bliss would be a life where almost every day included the following things: two cups of good coffee; reading, writing, and drawing in a big art studio that overlooked a beautiful place; a bulldog; plenty of music; a picnic; NPR; and a dinner party with seven of my best friends."  Isn't that a great question... I'd add "finding a great book like The Curious Garden."  You can see more about Peter Brown and his art on his website, which can be found at:  http://www.somebrownstuff.com