Beautiful Books: Gerda Muller

At the moment Frida can’t get enough of Gerda Muller’s books. I’m not surprised – Muller’s books are amazing. They all have a strong focus on the seasons and the natural world, featuring ponds, woods, gardens, farms, and balconies full of plants. They reflect a slower pace of childhood where children spend their holidays helping grandparents tend their gardens or visiting their cousins in the countryside.

Although Muller’s stories are fictional, they are packed with facts about the natural world and information about growing plants.

• A Year in Our New Garden is Frida’s current favourite, and I can see why. It tells the story of a family who move into a new home and slowly tend their unloved garden into something beautiful, making a lovely new friendship in the process. (I also really like that one of the main characters in the book uses a wheelchair. It’s a shame that this is still unusual though.) It shows the garden all year round, making it a wonderful book for learning about the seasons.
• How Does My Garden Grow? is perfect for us at the moment, as we have some vegetables growing in a raised bed in our garden. It tells the story of a girl who learns how to garden with her grandparents, with lots of gardening information alongside the main story. It feels extra special for me, as it reminds me of similar time spent with my own grandparents as a child. In the same style Muller also has How Does My Fruit Grow? which I am planning on adding to our collection soon.
• A Year Around the Great Oak is perfect for young nature lovers. It tells the story of siblings who go to stay with their cousins and discover a beautiful old oak tree – and all the animals that it provides a home for.
• Where Do They Go When It Rains? is a lovely story about a day-trip taken by young twins to the countryside. It starts to rain, and the twins learn where all the different animals go when it it wet outdoors. It also explains how rainbows work, and how to feed a pony safely!

We also love Muller’s beautiful seasonal board books, and have enjoyed these since Frida was tiny. Although these are wordless, the rich illustrations make these perfect for infants and children alike, and pre-readers will love narrating the pictures and “reading” the book themselves.

These books are a rare mix of (very) aesthetically pleasing and super informative, with enough of a plot to keep children engaged and interested. I really love reading them, and I know Frida enjoys listening to them and gazing at the gorgeous illustrations. I cannot recommend them enough.

Do you know Gerda Muller’s books? Which is your favourite?