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Millie Fleur's Poison Garden
Wednesday Addams meets The Curious Garden in this delightfully peculiar story about finding joy in being wonderfully weird.
Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is… until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.
Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!
But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer.
Millie Fleur's Poison Garden is a reminder to embrace everything that makes us wonderfully weird. Perfect for readers of The Creepy Carrots and fans of the Addams Family movies.
Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is… until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.
Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!
But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer.
Millie Fleur's Poison Garden is a reminder to embrace everything that makes us wonderfully weird. Perfect for readers of The Creepy Carrots and fans of the Addams Family movies.
Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 4, 2024
This book is so adorable! The weird little girl who still lives inside my head delighted in following Millie Fleur's adventures in gardening the cutest creepy plants! I think I am living proof that this book will enchant people of any age if they are fans of the Addams family, but it is sure to make little girls and boys giggle and hopefully, interested in gardening... lethal or non-lethal plants...
Stay weird, kids: you will find your tribe eventually!
Stay weird, kids: you will find your tribe eventually!
July 18, 2024
This is such a cute book! It is a unique concept explained through some witty, beautiful, and unique illustrations. Great job by the author and illustrator! The book made me watch a few videos on carnivorous plants and, of course, The Poison Garden of England.
August 17, 2024
Dare to be different!
January 22, 2024
delightfully adorable! Millie Fleur gives off vibes of Young Morticia
June 29, 2024
A cute book about embracing differences. It's not doing anything groundbreaking but the plants and illustrations are fun
January 23, 2024
Millie Fleur is a long-lost family member from Adam’s family tree. This picture book has beautiful illustrations and a well-crafted story, and it makes you wish you could grow unique, poisonous plants (with funny names).
With the support of her mother, Millie stands true to herself (and her garden) while others are questioning their purpose. Join Millie Fleur in growing poisonous plants and letting your creativity have no limits!
Christy Mandin includes diverse characters, imagination, a connection to a historical poisonous garden, and more!
(ARC sent by Scholastic Publishing)
With the support of her mother, Millie stands true to herself (and her garden) while others are questioning their purpose. Join Millie Fleur in growing poisonous plants and letting your creativity have no limits!
Christy Mandin includes diverse characters, imagination, a connection to a historical poisonous garden, and more!
(ARC sent by Scholastic Publishing)
January 23, 2024
Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden is a book you’ll want to read again and again! (Every time I read this book I find a fun new detail tucked into the fabulous illustrations.) As a child who often felt “different”, I would have delighted in Millie’s wonderfully weird interests and been inspired by her courage to remain true to herself.
December 12, 2023
I am IN LOVE with this book!!!! I loved looking at every detail of the wonderfully weird plants. Both boys and girls will eat this up! It is brilliantly written and the art is so wonderfully engaging. This is going to help kids embrace being unique and different in a big way.
July 3, 2024
3.5 stars
The story follows Millie and her mother as they move into a Stepfordian-esque neighbourhood. To make it feel more like home, Millie plants the garden with some of her favourite odd & eerie flowers. Unfortunately, this upsets some of her neighbours, who like everything to be the same. Will Millie think of a way to keep her garden?
The book is cute, and you definitely get the Addams family inspiration mentioned in the summary. I’m pretty sure the house Millie and her mother move into is a copy of the Addams’ house from the TV shows. I’m sure fans of the older series as well as the most recent adaptation would give it a look - ultimately, though, they might be disappointed.
While I got a kick out of the author’s creativity in coming up with so many different plants, the story itself isn’t as entertaining. It’s a fairly standard story about being yourself and accepting other’s differences - not that this isn’t an important message, but there’s only so many times you can read it, especially as blatantly spelled out as it is here.
Overall impression - it’s cute, and readers would get a kick out of the different plants. A fun activity for teachers or guardians would be to get the kids to come up with their own plants. I think an adult having to read it (especially repeatedly) would find it gets old fast, though.
The story follows Millie and her mother as they move into a Stepfordian-esque neighbourhood. To make it feel more like home, Millie plants the garden with some of her favourite odd & eerie flowers. Unfortunately, this upsets some of her neighbours, who like everything to be the same. Will Millie think of a way to keep her garden?
The book is cute, and you definitely get the Addams family inspiration mentioned in the summary. I’m pretty sure the house Millie and her mother move into is a copy of the Addams’ house from the TV shows. I’m sure fans of the older series as well as the most recent adaptation would give it a look - ultimately, though, they might be disappointed.
While I got a kick out of the author’s creativity in coming up with so many different plants, the story itself isn’t as entertaining. It’s a fairly standard story about being yourself and accepting other’s differences - not that this isn’t an important message, but there’s only so many times you can read it, especially as blatantly spelled out as it is here.
Overall impression - it’s cute, and readers would get a kick out of the different plants. A fun activity for teachers or guardians would be to get the kids to come up with their own plants. I think an adult having to read it (especially repeatedly) would find it gets old fast, though.
May 6, 2024
ARCQuest: Book 33
Two picture books releasing summer 2024 about two very cool “weird girls” with even weirder gardens? Sign me up!
This was a really charming book about embracing individuality. I would have loved this one as a kid.
Two picture books releasing summer 2024 about two very cool “weird girls” with even weirder gardens? Sign me up!
This was a really charming book about embracing individuality. I would have loved this one as a kid.
July 13, 2024
Another really lovely book! I liked the story of being brave enough to be yourself and not mind other people's disapproval. You are unique, and you're worth it! The artwork was beautiful too!
July 15, 2024
A moody, but whimsical Wednesday Adams vibe story with the most quirky and clever artwork.
July 18, 2024
Read this after visiting the Huntington gardens in LA! Absolutely perfect read after walking around a garden day. Millie Fleur teaches children the importance of embracing your quirks and traits others might find odd.
July 20, 2024
My 6 y.o. rates it a billion out of a billion stars but we're limited to 5. We love all the amazing plants and Millie's spirit.
August 10, 2024
Love this book and illustrations! I REALLY want to go to England even more now! Would love to visit the castle with the poisonous garden mentioned in the author's note! 🥰😍
August 14, 2024
OKAY IF I COULD GIVE THIS BOOK A BILLION STARS, I WOULD!!!!
September 8, 2024
I loved this book and the weird plants. I loved that the girl finds a home for her weirdness and friends and changes her town. It was really cute.
October 1, 2024
It's a cute book, but I'm growing a bit weary of the Wednesday Adams shtick.
July 11, 2024
Adorable and unique!
September 9, 2024
Tag urself (Freaky Freckled Fig here).
December 1, 2023
The art alone is worth the price of the book. Charming!
August 23, 2024
I was looking for a good book present the other day, and I...I might have bought one for myself instead... Oops? Here's Christy Mandin's "Millie Fleur's Poison Garden."
["Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is… until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.
Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!
But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer."]
Millie and her mom move to a pretty, pastel town where every house and every garden are identity (think Edward Scissorhands), but they're not so pink themselves. Add to that, they move into the "tumbledown house on a scruffy hill at the edge of town. Rejected and excluded, it stood lifeless with no one to love it" (think Addams Family).
After Millie plants some things in her garden, seeds from her old garden at her old house, she starts to feel much happier and much more at home...until the people in town see what she thinks is pretty.
This book teaches people (not just kids) that just because it's not your cup of tea (not your rose bush) doesn't mean you can hate on it or attempt to ban it. Millie, with her mother's encouragement, stood strong behind her beloved plants, even if they had silly names and looked odd.
I loooooved this book. One of my bigger tattoos is a bouquet of gorgeous flowers that just so happen to be poisonous. Some of the flowers in Millie's garden are real (just illustrated dramatically) and some are cleverly imaginary. They're all beautifully done and utterly adorable (and totally tattoo-worthy).
This book was partially inspired by the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle. If you've never heard of it, research it; it's glorious (and toooootally on my bucket list).
Quote of the Day: "Your garden is different from anything they've seen before. Some people are scared of things that are different."
#milliefleurspoisongarden #christymandin #alnwickcastlepoisongarden #books #childrensbooks #childrenspicturebooks #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is… until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.
Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!
But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer."]
Millie and her mom move to a pretty, pastel town where every house and every garden are identity (think Edward Scissorhands), but they're not so pink themselves. Add to that, they move into the "tumbledown house on a scruffy hill at the edge of town. Rejected and excluded, it stood lifeless with no one to love it" (think Addams Family).
After Millie plants some things in her garden, seeds from her old garden at her old house, she starts to feel much happier and much more at home...until the people in town see what she thinks is pretty.
This book teaches people (not just kids) that just because it's not your cup of tea (not your rose bush) doesn't mean you can hate on it or attempt to ban it. Millie, with her mother's encouragement, stood strong behind her beloved plants, even if they had silly names and looked odd.
I loooooved this book. One of my bigger tattoos is a bouquet of gorgeous flowers that just so happen to be poisonous. Some of the flowers in Millie's garden are real (just illustrated dramatically) and some are cleverly imaginary. They're all beautifully done and utterly adorable (and totally tattoo-worthy).
This book was partially inspired by the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle. If you've never heard of it, research it; it's glorious (and toooootally on my bucket list).
Quote of the Day: "Your garden is different from anything they've seen before. Some people are scared of things that are different."
#milliefleurspoisongarden #christymandin #alnwickcastlepoisongarden #books #childrensbooks #childrenspicturebooks #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
September 25, 2024
"Different doesn't mean 'wrong', different just means 'different'."
When Millie Fleur's family moves into the old condemned house in Garden Glen, she notices that all the other houses are cookie cutter similar, including the landscaping around them. Millie is sad because there are no flowers outside of her house. When she plants the unusual seeds her mother gives her, a garden of unusual flowers sprout. Rejected by the adults of the community because they don't fit in, Millie invites her class to see her garden and gets a surprising response.
Mandin very cleverly plants that are sure to germinate and help open minds. Millie (whose name means "flower" in French) raises all kinds of scary-sounding flowers and plants that match the air of the spooky-looking house with its creepy-looking interior. Adults are depicted as being closed-minded to the different house with the different landscaping, while their children are more accepting of the differences. Mandin uses just enough words to get this across, not belaboring the point. Backmatter includes a note about Mandin's inspiration for this book: an actual "Poison Garden" made of poisonous plants that is located in England.
Mandin's illustrations created in Procreate are just right - creepy, but not really scary. Close inspection of the illustrations of the "poison" plants are similar to those found in The Little Shop of Horrors with Grumpy Gilliflowers, Sore Toothwort, and Curdled Milkweed. All this adorning a charming world that Chas. Addams might have imagined for The Addams Family.
This would be fun to share in October with other creepy stories; be aware that witches are intimated in the book. Also consider for units on gardens, appreciating differences, and just for fun.
Highly Recommended for PreS-grade 3.
When Millie Fleur's family moves into the old condemned house in Garden Glen, she notices that all the other houses are cookie cutter similar, including the landscaping around them. Millie is sad because there are no flowers outside of her house. When she plants the unusual seeds her mother gives her, a garden of unusual flowers sprout. Rejected by the adults of the community because they don't fit in, Millie invites her class to see her garden and gets a surprising response.
Mandin very cleverly plants that are sure to germinate and help open minds. Millie (whose name means "flower" in French) raises all kinds of scary-sounding flowers and plants that match the air of the spooky-looking house with its creepy-looking interior. Adults are depicted as being closed-minded to the different house with the different landscaping, while their children are more accepting of the differences. Mandin uses just enough words to get this across, not belaboring the point. Backmatter includes a note about Mandin's inspiration for this book: an actual "Poison Garden" made of poisonous plants that is located in England.
Mandin's illustrations created in Procreate are just right - creepy, but not really scary. Close inspection of the illustrations of the "poison" plants are similar to those found in The Little Shop of Horrors with Grumpy Gilliflowers, Sore Toothwort, and Curdled Milkweed. All this adorning a charming world that Chas. Addams might have imagined for The Addams Family.
This would be fun to share in October with other creepy stories; be aware that witches are intimated in the book. Also consider for units on gardens, appreciating differences, and just for fun.
Highly Recommended for PreS-grade 3.
June 6, 2024
Inspired by the very real Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England, Christy Mandin’s main character, Millie, doesn’t like the same kind of plants in her garden as most of the residents in her new hometown of Garden Glen. Rather than the usual roses and peonies, she prefers more interesting varieties such as Fanged Fairy Moss, Grumpy Gilliflower, Tentacled Tansy, and Sore Toothwort. The Garden Club and many adults are horrified and attempt to rid the town of such oddities. Millie and her mom set out to share her unique garden with classmates and her teacher and, ultimately, a great number of people begin to recognize that “different” doesn’t have to mean “bad.” Great message, creative plants with equally outstanding visual representations of the completely imagined garden species plus a cute little frog named Wart who shows up on nearly every page wearing a perfectly appropriate facial expression for whatever is happening! Great read for the fun of it or to help children see that it is OK to be, dress, enjoy differently from others and we all should learn to appreciate things outside of our own little boxes. Perfect mentor text for exploring the concept of theme with older elementary-aged students.
Thanks for the finished hardcover copy, Scholastic and the 2024 Literary Feast event!
Thanks for the finished hardcover copy, Scholastic and the 2024 Literary Feast event!
January 29, 2024
I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
Garden Glen is “picture perfect” town with perfectly manicured homes, lawns, and gardens. That is until Millie and her mother come to town. Millie doesn’t like roses, she likes carnivorous plants and quickly goes to work in their yard making her funky poison garden which quickly horrifies the local Garden Club. As a person who grew up loving snap dragons and bleeding hearts, I loved this book. The illustrations are whimsical, with scary sounding plants looking silly and fun. I love that Millie doesn’t hold on to her anger about the neighbors but decides to educate them as well, with the caveat that some will always be against her garden, but that doesn’t mean she still can’t make a difference to those who are curious. A wonderful book for gardeners, schools, and homes that want a new way to teach how our differences make us unique and yet a community.
Garden Glen is “picture perfect” town with perfectly manicured homes, lawns, and gardens. That is until Millie and her mother come to town. Millie doesn’t like roses, she likes carnivorous plants and quickly goes to work in their yard making her funky poison garden which quickly horrifies the local Garden Club. As a person who grew up loving snap dragons and bleeding hearts, I loved this book. The illustrations are whimsical, with scary sounding plants looking silly and fun. I love that Millie doesn’t hold on to her anger about the neighbors but decides to educate them as well, with the caveat that some will always be against her garden, but that doesn’t mean she still can’t make a difference to those who are curious. A wonderful book for gardeners, schools, and homes that want a new way to teach how our differences make us unique and yet a community.
June 16, 2024
Millie Fleur La Fae and her family move into a new town, into a suburban, cookie-cutter, neighborhood, and into that one seemingly always run-down, abandoned, house. So off the bat, the La Fae's are not easily welcomed into the community. To make matters worse, all of the homes in this area have beautiful gardens. Millie wants to plant her own garden, but instead of the roses and peonies and tulips that litter this block, Millie decides to plant carnivorous plants, plants with names like Fanged Fairy Moss, Sore Toothwort, Grumpy Gilliflower, Witches Wort, Curdled Milkweed, Sneezing Stickyweed, and more. When the townspeople see the plants that Millie has in her garden they become outcasts. Millie Fleur knows that her poison garden is just misunderstood, but can she win over the townspeople? For fans of Edward Gorey, The Addams Family, and Tim Burton.
August 8, 2024
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A delightful story about being yourself, embracing differences, and sharing a love of plants. Upon moving to Garden Glen, Millie Fleur makes her new house her own by planting all sorts of wonderful plants. But her garden doesn't fit the tidy aesthetic the community is used to. Can she show her neighbors just how wonderful weird can be?
Sweet story. Well told. Beautiful messages about not changing yourself for others and the acceptance and understanding gained through actually getting to know someone.
Lovely illustrations. I especially enjoyed the wordplay in the various plant names in Millie's garden like sore toothwort and curdled milkweed.
A fun story, especially for fans of the Addams Family aesthetic.
A delightful story about being yourself, embracing differences, and sharing a love of plants. Upon moving to Garden Glen, Millie Fleur makes her new house her own by planting all sorts of wonderful plants. But her garden doesn't fit the tidy aesthetic the community is used to. Can she show her neighbors just how wonderful weird can be?
Sweet story. Well told. Beautiful messages about not changing yourself for others and the acceptance and understanding gained through actually getting to know someone.
Lovely illustrations. I especially enjoyed the wordplay in the various plant names in Millie's garden like sore toothwort and curdled milkweed.
A fun story, especially for fans of the Addams Family aesthetic.
January 23, 2024
Stay weird. It's the message of the book whether you're a poisonous plant or Millie Fleur herself.
An intricately drawn and delightful picture book about a poisonous garden that people wanted out of their neighborhood because it wasn't proper but she persisted and everyone came to appreciate it for what it was- a treasure.
Had the pleasure of hearing Christy Mandin speak and it was DELIGHTFUL as she addressed why she wrote the book and talked about the real poisonous garden that she visited that inspired the tale. She encourages everyone to stay weird.
An intricately drawn and delightful picture book about a poisonous garden that people wanted out of their neighborhood because it wasn't proper but she persisted and everyone came to appreciate it for what it was- a treasure.
Had the pleasure of hearing Christy Mandin speak and it was DELIGHTFUL as she addressed why she wrote the book and talked about the real poisonous garden that she visited that inspired the tale. She encourages everyone to stay weird.
June 6, 2024
Absolutely adorable story with amazing illustrations. I keep flipping through the pages to see what I might have missed. Millie is a girl who reminds me of Wednessay Addams, expect with a much happier disposition. When she and her family move to a new town, her mother encourages her to plant her "poison" garden. While the rest of the town seems like a cookie-cutter layout, Millie's garden brings out the curious and the mean. Lesson to be learned, it's ok to be different. Show off what you have and you might be surprised what you discover.
July 16, 2024
Love it! A picture book about a town learning to understand and appreciate a very different kind of garden, with a line that I use often as a parent: “Some people are scared of things that are different.” I particularly like that although Millie considers planting some roses to make the townsfolk happy, she decides instead to offer tours and education.
The text is engaging, and the illustrations are appealing and add to the story.
Note: I received a free ARC at the ALA conference but was under no obligation to leave a favorable review.
The text is engaging, and the illustrations are appealing and add to the story.
Note: I received a free ARC at the ALA conference but was under no obligation to leave a favorable review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews