Tulip and Sprout: A Growing Friendship product reviews

When my own children were young, each had a special "friend" that went everywhere with them. One had a knitted Raggedy Andy doll (Raggy for short) who was almost an extra member of the family because he loved going everywhere with his human. One had a pair of hand-made sister dolls called after Jackie and Sylvia, two of my pupils who used to babysit for me. They too went everywhere their human went, hand in hand thanks to velcro. And my youngest had an imaginary rabbit called Merry Bunny who was invisible to everyone except her. So "Tulip and Sprout" provided a little nostalgia, and I found the story quite believable.

For Miss Three, the story was pitched at just the right level. She has a teddy that goes everywhere she goes; she sat on Miss Three's knee while we read the story and looked at the pictures. Miss Three was at pains to explain that she was a girl teddy because she wore a bright red pullover. I did not question the logic as I was more interested in her response to the book, but could not help smiling a little! She got very worried when Doug was lost in the jungle, and we had to stop and show Teddy the picture of Tulip looking sadly at the drawings on her wall.

Finding Doug again was so exciting! Miss Three was overjoyed that Doug had babies, and thought it was excellent that Tulip had found a new friend in Sprout. Life had suddenly become worthwhile again, and Miss Three said she might ask her dad if Teddy could have a little potato of her own - to be called Sprout Too after the original Sprout in the story.

Carla Martelli's illustrations are bright and clear, easy to help a preschooler follow along with the story. Miss Three especially liked the last picture in the book which shows the two children playing outside with their rock Susan, their potato Sprout, and Tulip's dad's friend Colin the Carrot. She said they all looked very happy as all five of them were smiling.

Reading the book with a preschooler really made it come alive. Miss Three was happy to accept that Susan the Rock, Doug the Potato, and Sprout the Baby Potato were all real friends and as important in the story as Max and Tulip, their humans. Teddy was consulted regularly as to what she thought about the way that the characters all interacted, and although she did not talk, she sat very quietly and listened to the words so she must have been taking it all in. When we had finished reading, Miss Three assured me that Teddy had whispered that she really wanted her own Sprout Too.

I remember reading Tulip and Doug to my then 9 year old who ended up with a pet potato! I still like to read the book to my students as it is a great way to start discussions on being different, being resilient, and being kind to others. I was excited to read the next book in the series, Tulip and Sprout, especially as Doug had disappeared in the previous book... would he make a return?

Tulip and Sprout is a bright and colourful book that is fantastically illustrated by Carla Martell. Tulip and her friend Max are good friends who have a quirky companion, a rock called Susan. They take her everywhere and have lots of adventures together. My Year 4 students enjoyed finding her on the page as she is very good at hiding. During the holidays, Max and Susan go on holiday leaving Tulip with her parents. Completely bored and lonely, Tulip and her dad go on an adventure to the jungle (well, a forest), and lo and behold, Doug has sprouted! Tulip carefully covers the small potatoes to grow, all except one called Sprout. Tulip and Sprout become firm friends and when Tulip's friends return home, she is excited to introduce them to Sprout and a rock garden, aptly named 'Susan's Garden', that Tulip has created. Tulip's dad also introduces a quirky-looking carrot called Colin at dinnertime and the story ends with the friends reflecting on what a great holiday they've all had.

Tulip and Sprout is a fantastic book about missing things and the title of the book is a clue as to what happens to their missing friend Doug. My students loved the story and it was great to read after Tulip and Doug as they could make predictions about what was going to happen. My now 13-year-old daughter had a giggle reading it and instantly remembered reading about Doug when she was younger so it must have struck a chord. I would highly recommend this book as enables you to have discussions about loss, resilience, and friends.