MEET THE AUTHOR
Mary Frances Baker spent her childhood exploring every nook and hollow of the ravine behind her house. She delighted in making bug homes out of sticks, in chasing frogs and lizards, and in collecting pockets-full of honeysuckle and clover blossoms. She drew pictures of dreams, which bloomed on pages of crayoned woodlands and gardens. She hopes to bring this same wonder and curiosity to children today, by sharing stories and pictures that awaken their imaginations. Mary Frances currently lives in the big city of Dallas, Texas. When she is not busy singing with the youngest of musicians, she is looking for ways to escape into nature with her family.
MEET MY GARDEN FRIEND
Our sense of wonder never flourishes more than during the brief season of childhood. And that wonder grows its deepest roots in the outdoors and through imaginative play.
Opening the literal door to that world is the simplest and most profound way to nourish childhood wonder. Step through your door, and join the Garden Friend on a journey into the natural world!
A child’s greatest asset is their own imagination. The world around us is full of wonder and beauty which can be missed if that imagination is not given space to grow. Children instinctively know- and show- the way to access this world of beauty. They know how to stand, to look, to see, to hear, to feel, and then to enter in.
They remember to look up and see a bird singing in a tree. They take time to close their eyes and feel a warm wind on their faces. They dare to climb a tree and see the earth from a squirrel’s eye-view. Childhood is the most precious time to expand one’s imagination.
What can we, as parents, educators, naturalists, and members of our community do to give space for this growth? Inviting children into a natural space, and giving them tools to explore that space independently, is a simple first step. The Garden Friend opens a door into that space, and begins that delightful work that is best accomplished through the child’s imagination.