The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Read-Aloud Family Book Club

1 READ ALOUD

The classic story of young Mary Lennox, who comes to live at her uncle’s great house on the Yorkshire moors. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets Dickon, a magical boy who can talk to animals.

Then one day, she discovers the most mysterious wonder of all—a secret garden, walled and locked, forgotten for years and years…

Read aloud any unabridged version.

I’m partial to the one illustrated by Tasha Tudor (pictured above).

Another beautiful, high quality, and aﬀordable option is the Barnes & Noble Collectible edition hardcover (pictured at left).

Of course, listening to the book together on audio is particularly delightful, especially because the dialect can be tricky to read aloud.

We recommend the free unabridged audio recording on Librivox, narrated by Karen Savage. Wonderful… and did I mention free?

And for your youngest kids, try either the Little Golden Book or BabyLit picture book adaptations.

They leave a lot out (naturally) and don’t have the same beautiful language, but this is a way to share the same story with your whole family, so little ones can participate in family activities and conversation.

When we share a memorable experience with our kids… we pair the reading of The Secret Garden with a joyful and warm family memory.

This is also a wonderful way to include Dad.

Choose any experience that strikes your family’s fancy. This isn’t a to-do list. Rather, it’s a menu to chose from. The most important part is having fun and connecting.

Watch the movie Watching the movie and discussing the diﬀerences and similarities between the book and ﬁlm versions of The Secret Garden can be an engaging and fun family activity. The 1993 version is rated G and is quite true to the original story by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Read the Common Sense Media review of the movie here. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ (Common Sense Media recommends the movie for ages 8+. However, my 5yo twins have watched and enjoyed it.)

Serve porridge for breakfast

When Mary ﬁrst arrives at Misselthwaite manor, she wants nothing to do with the porridge Martha serves her. “Put a bit o’ treacle on it or a bit o’ sugar,” Martha tells her.

Serve porridge (any kind of cooked cereal: cream of wheat, oatmeal, grits) to your kids with an assortment of toppings: honey, brown sugar, molasses (treacle), raisins, dried cranberries, coconut, dates, berries, bananas, cinnamon, nuts, etc.

Picnic in the Garden

What better way to end a day than with a picnic dinner in the garden? Spread out a blanket and enjoy dinner out of doors. Don’t have your own garden? Find a local park or garden to picnic in, instead.

Make it a meal ﬁt for Misselthwaite Manor: slices of ham, buns and raspberry jam, summer berries, and roasted potatoes (remember when the children roast potatoes?) would make for a delightful picnic! If you’re feeling especially English, bring along a thermos of tea.

Use these questions to spark conversations with your kids.

Remember that the goal is to help our kids develop the habit of asking good questions. That’s far more important than whether or not they give us clever answers.

You can use these questions with kids of any age. Feel free to ask questions at the end of a chapter, at the end of the book, or any time in between. You can ask one, or you can ask several. It’s up to you!

How are Mary, Dickon, and Colin the same? How are they diﬀerent?

What does Mary (or Colin, Archibald Craven, or Mrs. Medlock) want most of all? What’s keeping him/her from having it?

Should Mary have snuck into Colin’s room?

Who is the most selﬁsh in this story?

What is Mary (or Colin, Archibald Craven, or Mrs. Medlock) most afraid of?

What surprised you most in this story?

How is the door that leads to the Secret Garden like the wardrobe that leads to Narnia? How are they diﬀerent?

What is something from The Secret Garden that you don’t want to forget?

About Frances Hodgson Burnett When Frances Hodgson Burnett moved to Maytham Hall in Kent, England in 1898, she had no idea she was moving into a home that would inspire one of her greatest literary works.

Indeed, the rickety garden door and the walled rose garden at Maytham Hall would become the inspiration for The Secret Garden.

Helped by a little robin that perched on a nearby plum tree, Frances began to clear away weeds and add beauty to the walled garden as she could.

It was many years later, from her home in America, when she penned and published The Secret Garden, which released in 1911.

…and even more

For more ideas, ﬁnd a copy of Inside the Secret Garden: A Treasury of Crafts, Recipes, and Activities by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Whyss Eriksson (out of print, but your library may have it).

If your kids enjoy coloring while listening to the story, they may enjoy one of these coloring books:

Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book (for older kids and teens)

Secret Garden Coloring Book, which is an excellent “junior” edition of the text, perfect for kids who are reading strongly, but not yet ready for the dialect of the original.

Premium Membership :: Summer 2019

MAY FAMILY BOOK CLUB S M T W TH F S Picture Book: Goldﬁsh on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones & Leo Espinosa Novel: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 1 2 3 4 5/3: Oﬃce Hours 1pm PT/4pm ET 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 5/11: Master Class, 5pm PT/8pm ET 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Getting Started with Nature Journaling Guest Instructor: Kristin Rogers 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 5/29: Author Access, 4pm PT/7pm ET Guest: Sally Lloyd-Jones 26 27 28 29 30 31

JUNE FAMILY BOOK CLUB

S M T W TH F S Picture Book: Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal Novel: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 1 6/3: Mama Book Club begins in the forum 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 6/7: Oﬃce Hours 1pm PT/4pm ET

6/17: Author Access, 11am PT/2pm ET 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Guest: Kate Messner

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

JULY FAMILY BOOK CLUB Picture Book: Otis and Will Discover the Deep by Barb Rosenstock & Katherine Roy S M T W TH F S Novel: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

1 2 3 4 5 6 7/5: Oﬃce Hours 1pm PT/4pm ET

7/10: Drawing Workshop for ages 4-9, 10am PT/1pm ET 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 7/11: Drawing Workshop for ages 10+, 10am PT/1pm ET Guest Instructor: Ralph Masiello 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7/23: Author Access, 11am PT/2pm ET Guest: Barb Rosenstock 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 7/25: Mama Book Club, 5pm PT/8pm ET 28 29 30 31 Online Book Club Event, led by Sarah Arthur

AUGUST FAMILY BOOK CLUB Picture Book: The Gardener by Sarah Stewart & David Small S M T W TH F S Novel: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 1 2 3 8/2: Oﬃce Hours 1pm PT/4pm ET 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/29: Author Access, 8am PT/11am ET Guests: Sarah Stewart & David Small 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Master Class, Date & Time TBA 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 What I Wish I Knew Back Then Guest: Sally Clarkson 25 26 27 28 29 30 31