Kaiah’s Garden

A story about family, remembrance, and community connection. Kaiah’s Garden by Melanie Florence and Karlene Harvey will keep you thinking of spring through the long winter months.

Kaiah, her mom, her brother and her dog Atim have moved to a new house in a new town and she is not happy about it. This house smells different, feels different and looks different. Most importantly she’s missing her grandma and her grandma’s beautiful garden. When a little something whispers in her ear, Kaiah is reminded of her treasure box and starts creating a plan to make this house feel a little more like home.

Melanie Florence creates a story filled with the vibrant colours of the rainbow and introduces readers to the Indigenous art form of beadwork. As explained in the author’s note, beadwork can be medicine and a way for Indigenous people to represent something that is meaningful for them. In this story, Kaiah uses beading as a way to remember her grandmother and her old home and helps to make her new house feel like home.

Each page is filled with details about the beadwork Kaiah has saved in her treasure box thanks to the time she spent learning the craft from her grandmother and other elders in her family. Each item connects her to her grandma and inspires her to her next creation.

Karlene Harvey’s gorgeous illustrations lead the way in this story. Readers can experience the beauty and the texture of each carefully crafted item that Melanie Florence perfectly describes in the text. Vibrant colours of the rainbow burst from the pages making this winter book release perfect for the cold and grey days of the winter season.