The Story
In Papa’s Garden is the result of ideas that have been budding for a long time. Creating it brought together many of the things I love, a deep respect and appreciation for nature, dabbling in colorful watercolors, writing, and slowing down enough to enjoy the simple joys found in watching things grow.
Its early roots are found in my childhood, watching and helping my father plant a garden each year, and my mother harvest and cook the fresh things we grew. Those hot summers taught me a lot, especially that there is nothing so delicious as a ripe tomato grown in your own backyard.
As I grew up, married and started a home and family of my own, I wanted to recreate that connection to the earth and teach my children the fun of getting your hands dirty. We started with a couple tomato plants and a few herbs. Our children grew up and our garden grew. My husband, Steve, is Papa now to the next generation of gardeners. He is the one who has transformed a dry, neglected patch of dirt behind our house into a rich, productive and beautiful organic garden. We love to share our bounty with neighbors and friends. The vegetables and flowers are an endless inspiration for my art, photography, and delicious meals.
Although In Papa’s Garden is a simple book intended for young children, the message resonates with all of us and has never felt more timely. Mother Nature with her diversity, complexity of interrelationships, food chains, and natural laws is a powerful force to be respected. When we alter her delicate balance with pesticides, genetic modifications, pollution, and sourcing food from thousands of miles away, we put our entire planet at risk. I hope this little book will encourage people to be thoughtful about how our food is grown. I am encouraged to see a growing number of smaller, sustainable organic farms and farmers markets gaining in popularity. I hope the the next generation of farmers will be increasingly willing to just let nature be.
The Process
Behind the scenes look at how the book came to be…
An ever-changing array of vegetables and flowers from our garden filled my studio with color and fragrance.
A visit to a friend’s rose garden led to a flurry of rose painting!
Loved both painting and eating these artichokes!
Planting Seedlings
Harvesting Spring radishes.
A chance to dip into my favorite reds!
Preview the book
Join Papa as he plans for, and plants his garden. Meet an alphabetic array of insects, learn to recognize upper and lower case letters, and follow Papa’s advice for harmony in the garden.
Book Reviews
“Parents and young children alike will delight in Eager’s vibrant watercolor illustrations of an alphabetic array of summer produce and insects. Her crisp alliterations share the names of each insect and enhance the illustrations.”
“Glorious! The gentle, vivid illustrations teem with life. The text reverberates. I eagerly anticipated the next letter! I first read it silently to myself and then aloud to celebrate the feeling of and the sounds of the words. The message of inclusion, that all life is and plays an integral part in the garden…so timely. So beautiful. Readers of all ages will return to it repeatedly.”