Come behind the scenes of Georgia O’Keeffe’s famous flower paintings to her sustainable homestead in New Mexico, where art was everything and everything was art.

Most of us have heard the name Georgia O’Keeffe— she’s one of the most famous women in art history. But did you know that for most of her life, she lived on her own land in New Mexico, grew her own food, bought locally, and even made her own clothing?

Georgia’s garden and her art fed and enriched one another, just as her bean plants enriched the soil and her home-grown feasts fed her friends. In spite of the era’s prejudice against female artists, Georgia lived and thrived in her verdant sanctuary well into old age. 

Soothing and inspiring, Gifts from Georgia’s Garden illuminates the life and philosophy of a figure every child should know. Backmatter adds context to O’Keeffe’s story and invites families to try out her sustainable gardening techniques— and her pecan butterball cookies.

Gifts for Georgia’s Garden is the latest in Lisa Robinson’s collection of thoughtful, artfully-told picture book biographies on figures who broke the mold and made history because of it. Hadley Hooper, a painter in her own right and the illustrator of books about Matisse (The Iridescence of Birds) and Giacometti (Two Brothers, Four Hands), perfectly evokes Georgia O’Keeffe’s style with pictures that burst with color and life.
Lisa Robinson is the author of several picture books, including Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten!, a GoodReads Choice nominee; The Sweetest Scoop: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution, and Were I Not A Girl: The Inspiring Story Of Dr. James Barry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Lisa lives with her family and cats in the Boston area, where she and her daughters enjoy practicing aerial silks at their local circus studio.

Hadley Hooper is a painter and illustrator whose artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums in major cities such as San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Denver, and Santa Fe. As a picture book illustrator, she has worked with bestselling authors such as Patricia Maclachlan, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Jan Greenberg. She lives in Denver with her partner Hugh Graham, and their dog Augie.
  • HONOR | 2024
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
★ "A veritable feast for the eyes and the mind."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "This gentle, beautiful work can . . . complement numerous classroom studies. . . . A must for public library and classroom shelves."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Spare, poetic text and illustrations rich in color and detail provide a unique insight into a well-known artist."The Horn Book, Starred Review

"Value for its insights into her character and later life."—School Library Journal

"[A]n uncomplicated portrait that highlights how the intersection of environment and creative freedom formed an artist for whom 'everything was art, and art was everything.'"—Publisher’s Weekly

About

Come behind the scenes of Georgia O’Keeffe’s famous flower paintings to her sustainable homestead in New Mexico, where art was everything and everything was art.

Most of us have heard the name Georgia O’Keeffe— she’s one of the most famous women in art history. But did you know that for most of her life, she lived on her own land in New Mexico, grew her own food, bought locally, and even made her own clothing?

Georgia’s garden and her art fed and enriched one another, just as her bean plants enriched the soil and her home-grown feasts fed her friends. In spite of the era’s prejudice against female artists, Georgia lived and thrived in her verdant sanctuary well into old age. 

Soothing and inspiring, Gifts from Georgia’s Garden illuminates the life and philosophy of a figure every child should know. Backmatter adds context to O’Keeffe’s story and invites families to try out her sustainable gardening techniques— and her pecan butterball cookies.

Gifts for Georgia’s Garden is the latest in Lisa Robinson’s collection of thoughtful, artfully-told picture book biographies on figures who broke the mold and made history because of it. Hadley Hooper, a painter in her own right and the illustrator of books about Matisse (The Iridescence of Birds) and Giacometti (Two Brothers, Four Hands), perfectly evokes Georgia O’Keeffe’s style with pictures that burst with color and life.

Author

Lisa Robinson is the author of several picture books, including Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten!, a GoodReads Choice nominee; The Sweetest Scoop: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution, and Were I Not A Girl: The Inspiring Story Of Dr. James Barry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Lisa lives with her family and cats in the Boston area, where she and her daughters enjoy practicing aerial silks at their local circus studio.

Hadley Hooper is a painter and illustrator whose artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums in major cities such as San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Denver, and Santa Fe. As a picture book illustrator, she has worked with bestselling authors such as Patricia Maclachlan, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Jan Greenberg. She lives in Denver with her partner Hugh Graham, and their dog Augie.

Awards

  • HONOR | 2024
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books

Praise

★ "A veritable feast for the eyes and the mind."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "This gentle, beautiful work can . . . complement numerous classroom studies. . . . A must for public library and classroom shelves."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Spare, poetic text and illustrations rich in color and detail provide a unique insight into a well-known artist."The Horn Book, Starred Review

"Value for its insights into her character and later life."—School Library Journal

"[A]n uncomplicated portrait that highlights how the intersection of environment and creative freedom formed an artist for whom 'everything was art, and art was everything.'"—Publisher’s Weekly

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