Daisy Rewilds

A “born naturalist,” redheaded young Daisy is delighted to discover that when she skips bathing for five weeks, moss sprouts behind her ear and seeds start taking root. Daisy’s literal blooming alarms her parents, but horticulture-loving Auntie Betsy is all in, and together they transform Daisy into a walking garden. “By July, pussytoes were shooting from her shoulders, and fleabane was dancing on her wrists,” writes McNamara (The Bug Girl), and as the child continues to sprout, pollinators and birds flock to her flourishing form. Ink and watercolor illustrations by Kerascoët (I Walk with Vanessa) exude sunny abundance and playful grace, showing Daisy fully embracing her “rewilding” as an expression of both budding autonomy and green principles. After a summer of glorious growing, Daisy replants her offshoots throughout the neighborhood, transforming the previously manicured suburban landscape into a haven of indigenous plants. There was a time when children were told to wash in order to avoid growing potatoes behind their ears; this sustainability fable seems to turn a variation on that old warning into a child’s triumph and a community’s ecological awakening. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A note about rewilding concludes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (July)