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Blossom
Blossom has grown up surrounded by the beautiful plants and flowers from her family's market stall. The stall was started by her grandparents, Tutu and Pops, and passed on to Blossom's parents after their death. It's a magical place where customers come to find flowers for all occasions: from celebrating love to offering comfort in times of sorrow. But now the stall is at risk, with tension rising as Blossom's parents argue about the future. Can Blossom call on the lessons she learned from Tutu and find a way to cope with the dramatic changes that are happening around her. Can she save the flower stall?
Acclaimed author Laura Dockrill sows seeds of hope and community at the flower market in this heartfelt, lyrical tale of family life and change. This book features a dyslexia-friendly layout and font, and illustrations throughout so that even more readers can enjoy it.
Acclaimed author Laura Dockrill sows seeds of hope and community at the flower market in this heartfelt, lyrical tale of family life and change. This book features a dyslexia-friendly layout and font, and illustrations throughout so that even more readers can enjoy it.
96 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 18, 2024
Amazing grandparents leave their plant stall behind and it’s giving a hard time to Blossom’s parents trying to juggle their dreams and manage the stall all by themselves.
Blossom works hard to understand her parents but also to keep the stall. She learns that living a dream involves a team. With the help of her parents and some creativity from her side, she indeed helps her parents pursue their dreams as well as her grandparents’ wishes!
Love the illustrations. I love the cover so much!
Blossom works hard to understand her parents but also to keep the stall. She learns that living a dream involves a team. With the help of her parents and some creativity from her side, she indeed helps her parents pursue their dreams as well as her grandparents’ wishes!
Love the illustrations. I love the cover so much!
March 30, 2022
As someone who also has way too many plants to the point it causes problems , I agree with this book.😌
September 30, 2021
Blossom tells the story of a young girl whose life is changed following the sudden death of her beloved grandparents, and how the legacy they have left behind comes close to breaking her struggling family apart.
Shortly after starting the book we learn that Blossom and her family have recently been through a tragedy; their beloved grandmother, Tutu, fell ill, so ill that there was nothing that could be done to save her. Shortly after she passed away her husband, Pops, passed on too, dying from a broken heart. I was honestly surprised to see a children's book so openly dealing with a subject like grief, to tackle death and loss in such a head-on manner; but this was just the beginning of what proved to be a number of heavy subjects that Laura Dockrill would cover in the book.
After losing Tutu and Pops, Blossom and her parents inherited their beloved plants, plants which soon filled their small flat. More importantly, however, they also inherited the market stall that they'd owned for more than fifty years. A long standing part of the local flower market, Blossom's dad is determined to keep the stall running. Unfortunately, this results in a lot of work for him and his wife; work that comes at a bad time as Blossom's mum had recently quit her job to go back to college to chase her dream of becoming a scientist.
With the flower stall taking up all of their time, and Blossom's mother having to work late into the night to try to even keep up with her school work, her parents relationship begins to fray at the edges. Despite them trying to keep this from Blossom she can see that her parents are struggling, and when they end up being caught in a full argument by Blossom she learns that her mother has given her father an ultimatum, get rid of the stall, or lose her.
With the stall meaning everything to Blossom, with her hope and dreams for the future being tied up into it, she feels betrayed by her mother, she fears that her family is going to fall apart, and she's worried that the thing that connects her to her lost grandparents is about to be lost forever. Now Blossom's determined to find a way of saving the stall, as well as keeping her family together.
Blossom not only deals with grief, as very evidently laid out early on in the book, but deals with the often unspoken about topic of fracturing family. We often see media aimed at kids featuring separated parents, but this usually tends to be family that has already split apart. Blossom, in contrast, puts the readers into the middle of family turmoil. Blossom actually sees the moment her mother and father come to the realisation that they might separate, and it's something that breaks her emotionally.
We get to see the effect that this has on Blossom, we see the myriad of emotions that flood through her, the pain she feels, the sense of betrayal. She centres herself and her own concerns and has to come to see how her parents are their own people, with their own dreams and goals who have already sacrificed a lot and just want some happiness. In a lot of ways the book shatters that childhood illusion that children have about being the centre of the world, and Blossom does a lot of growing up over the course of the book.
The story isn't all emotional turmoil though, as there's a lot of fun to be had whilst reading this. Dockrill goes out of her way to try and fill the pages with a sense of fun and wonder, and makes you look at the beauty of plants in a new way. It helps to balance out the darker moments, and shows how life itself is varied and how light and dark are both things that you have to live with.
There are also some great illustrations scattered throughout the book, provided by Sarah Ogilvie. Ogilvie's style works wonderfully with the story, and each illustration is filled with wild and wonderful plants and flowers that loom over the characters.
Blossom is a book that had a lot more substance to it than I was expecting, but it's dealing with some important and often unspoken topics. I think it's important that kids not only know that thing like family loss and the break down of relationships happen, but that if they do happen it's something that isn't your fault, and that life can go on afterwards. I think for these reasons Blossom is going to be one of those books that sticks with the reader for a long while afterwards, and one that will mean a lot to young readers.
Shortly after starting the book we learn that Blossom and her family have recently been through a tragedy; their beloved grandmother, Tutu, fell ill, so ill that there was nothing that could be done to save her. Shortly after she passed away her husband, Pops, passed on too, dying from a broken heart. I was honestly surprised to see a children's book so openly dealing with a subject like grief, to tackle death and loss in such a head-on manner; but this was just the beginning of what proved to be a number of heavy subjects that Laura Dockrill would cover in the book.
After losing Tutu and Pops, Blossom and her parents inherited their beloved plants, plants which soon filled their small flat. More importantly, however, they also inherited the market stall that they'd owned for more than fifty years. A long standing part of the local flower market, Blossom's dad is determined to keep the stall running. Unfortunately, this results in a lot of work for him and his wife; work that comes at a bad time as Blossom's mum had recently quit her job to go back to college to chase her dream of becoming a scientist.
With the flower stall taking up all of their time, and Blossom's mother having to work late into the night to try to even keep up with her school work, her parents relationship begins to fray at the edges. Despite them trying to keep this from Blossom she can see that her parents are struggling, and when they end up being caught in a full argument by Blossom she learns that her mother has given her father an ultimatum, get rid of the stall, or lose her.
With the stall meaning everything to Blossom, with her hope and dreams for the future being tied up into it, she feels betrayed by her mother, she fears that her family is going to fall apart, and she's worried that the thing that connects her to her lost grandparents is about to be lost forever. Now Blossom's determined to find a way of saving the stall, as well as keeping her family together.
Blossom not only deals with grief, as very evidently laid out early on in the book, but deals with the often unspoken about topic of fracturing family. We often see media aimed at kids featuring separated parents, but this usually tends to be family that has already split apart. Blossom, in contrast, puts the readers into the middle of family turmoil. Blossom actually sees the moment her mother and father come to the realisation that they might separate, and it's something that breaks her emotionally.
We get to see the effect that this has on Blossom, we see the myriad of emotions that flood through her, the pain she feels, the sense of betrayal. She centres herself and her own concerns and has to come to see how her parents are their own people, with their own dreams and goals who have already sacrificed a lot and just want some happiness. In a lot of ways the book shatters that childhood illusion that children have about being the centre of the world, and Blossom does a lot of growing up over the course of the book.
The story isn't all emotional turmoil though, as there's a lot of fun to be had whilst reading this. Dockrill goes out of her way to try and fill the pages with a sense of fun and wonder, and makes you look at the beauty of plants in a new way. It helps to balance out the darker moments, and shows how life itself is varied and how light and dark are both things that you have to live with.
There are also some great illustrations scattered throughout the book, provided by Sarah Ogilvie. Ogilvie's style works wonderfully with the story, and each illustration is filled with wild and wonderful plants and flowers that loom over the characters.
Blossom is a book that had a lot more substance to it than I was expecting, but it's dealing with some important and often unspoken topics. I think it's important that kids not only know that thing like family loss and the break down of relationships happen, but that if they do happen it's something that isn't your fault, and that life can go on afterwards. I think for these reasons Blossom is going to be one of those books that sticks with the reader for a long while afterwards, and one that will mean a lot to young readers.
September 13, 2021
The team at Barrington Stoke, who regularly seek out amazing authors that deliver brilliant stories in a short number of pages and deal with big and real issues, have struck gold with their latest collaboration with Laura Dockrill. Blossom, one of the recent releases in the collection of accessible reads with a recommended reading age of 8+, will be adored by readers as much as customers love Tutu and Pops’ marvellous flowers.
Blossom has grown up in a house surrounded by plants that have come from the flower market stall that her beloved grandparents, Tutu and Pops used to run. Following their death, the stall has been passed onto Blossom’s parents but when once it brought happiness and joy it is now causing everything to go wrong. Her parents are arguing, dad is struggling, mum cannot study and there’s even talk of selling the stall.
With emotions running high, dreams under threat and caught between desperately wanting to save the stall and stop her family falling apart, can Blossom find a way to plant the seeds of change to save her family and the the flower business…
Blossom is a heart-warming story of ups and downs where everything is blooming wonderfully one moment and then drastically wilting the next. There is family drama, difficult decisions, struggling parents who are trying to work out what their future looks like and a young girl coming to terms with the death of her grandparents, particularly her beloved Tutu.
It would be easy for Blossom to wither but with her roots firmly set in the family flower stall, she is willing do everything she can to save it, even if it involves missing a bit of school. As prickly as a cactus, as bright as a sunflower and as determined as that weed that never gives up, Blossom is a wonderful character who, like her name, blossoms throughout the story.
I loved this book from the first time I saw the front cover, and the lyrical tale that Dockrill tells is perfect. Just like beautiful flowers bloom from the tiniest seeds, she has scattered the seeds of hope, accepting change, the power of community and the healing power of nature that are all in full bloom by the end. This is all beautifully illustrated by Sara Ogilvie and, I haven’t done this yet but I cannot promise that I won’t, I just wanted to colour in all of the flowers. Like all Barrington Stoke books, this is produced using dyslexic friendly font and page tint ensuring a read that is accessible to every reader.
With huge thanks to the peeps at Barrington Stoke for this lovely book.
Recommended for 8+.
Blossom has grown up in a house surrounded by plants that have come from the flower market stall that her beloved grandparents, Tutu and Pops used to run. Following their death, the stall has been passed onto Blossom’s parents but when once it brought happiness and joy it is now causing everything to go wrong. Her parents are arguing, dad is struggling, mum cannot study and there’s even talk of selling the stall.
With emotions running high, dreams under threat and caught between desperately wanting to save the stall and stop her family falling apart, can Blossom find a way to plant the seeds of change to save her family and the the flower business…
Blossom is a heart-warming story of ups and downs where everything is blooming wonderfully one moment and then drastically wilting the next. There is family drama, difficult decisions, struggling parents who are trying to work out what their future looks like and a young girl coming to terms with the death of her grandparents, particularly her beloved Tutu.
It would be easy for Blossom to wither but with her roots firmly set in the family flower stall, she is willing do everything she can to save it, even if it involves missing a bit of school. As prickly as a cactus, as bright as a sunflower and as determined as that weed that never gives up, Blossom is a wonderful character who, like her name, blossoms throughout the story.
I loved this book from the first time I saw the front cover, and the lyrical tale that Dockrill tells is perfect. Just like beautiful flowers bloom from the tiniest seeds, she has scattered the seeds of hope, accepting change, the power of community and the healing power of nature that are all in full bloom by the end. This is all beautifully illustrated by Sara Ogilvie and, I haven’t done this yet but I cannot promise that I won’t, I just wanted to colour in all of the flowers. Like all Barrington Stoke books, this is produced using dyslexic friendly font and page tint ensuring a read that is accessible to every reader.
With huge thanks to the peeps at Barrington Stoke for this lovely book.
Recommended for 8+.
February 27, 2025
This is a lovely story. Blossom’s grandparents Tutu and Pops used to run a flower stall in a flower market, but after their recent deaths, her dad and mum have had to take over instead. Spending all her summer holidays with her parents at the market stall is something Blossom loves, one day she wants to take over running the stall too, but when Blossom overhears a conversation her parents have, she’s scared things aren’t going to work out.
This is an interesting story that deals with loss and family problems. At first we learn about Blossom and her grandparents, and how her family have inherited a lot of plants from her Tutu and Pops which now populate her house. I like how Blossom is attached to one particular plant which she calls Tutu Plant and how we find out more about her connection with this as the story moves on. While Blossom feels going to the market is a magical experience and loves spending time with her parents and the other stall holders there, who all know her, she tries to ignore what she can see happening with her parents which is the gradual breakdown of their relationship because of market stall. I like how this story tackles the difficulties that kids sometimes are stuck in when parents are often arguing and how this particular story goes and what happens later in this story.
There are illustrations throughout the book on some pages and these are all in black, white and grey. I love how all the characters look, the expressions on their faces, especially moving later when Blossom is upset, and I also love how all the plants and flowers look, so busy yet so lovely at the same time. The book is especially made for dyslexics and reluctant readers so is a short read at less than 90 pages of text to read and the text used in the book is bigger than in many kids books and uses a special dyslexia friendly font as well as separated paragraphs and is all printed on a yellow tinted thick paper making it easier to read.
The story builds up to a lovely conclusion, although I have to admit to already being able to predict what would happen at the end. However it’s a wonderful read and makes you smile so much after finishing it. Blossom deals with the lose of her grandparents and I like how things work out in the end with her whole family. The book shows how first opinions can be wrong too and I like how this is shown through two different characters. Overall it’s a lovely and heartwarming story that’ll make you smile and I’ve really enjoyed reading it.
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy.
This is an interesting story that deals with loss and family problems. At first we learn about Blossom and her grandparents, and how her family have inherited a lot of plants from her Tutu and Pops which now populate her house. I like how Blossom is attached to one particular plant which she calls Tutu Plant and how we find out more about her connection with this as the story moves on. While Blossom feels going to the market is a magical experience and loves spending time with her parents and the other stall holders there, who all know her, she tries to ignore what she can see happening with her parents which is the gradual breakdown of their relationship because of market stall. I like how this story tackles the difficulties that kids sometimes are stuck in when parents are often arguing and how this particular story goes and what happens later in this story.
There are illustrations throughout the book on some pages and these are all in black, white and grey. I love how all the characters look, the expressions on their faces, especially moving later when Blossom is upset, and I also love how all the plants and flowers look, so busy yet so lovely at the same time. The book is especially made for dyslexics and reluctant readers so is a short read at less than 90 pages of text to read and the text used in the book is bigger than in many kids books and uses a special dyslexia friendly font as well as separated paragraphs and is all printed on a yellow tinted thick paper making it easier to read.
The story builds up to a lovely conclusion, although I have to admit to already being able to predict what would happen at the end. However it’s a wonderful read and makes you smile so much after finishing it. Blossom deals with the lose of her grandparents and I like how things work out in the end with her whole family. The book shows how first opinions can be wrong too and I like how this is shown through two different characters. Overall it’s a lovely and heartwarming story that’ll make you smile and I’ve really enjoyed reading it.
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy.
May 30, 2025
Blossom has lost both of her grandparents, her family is falling apart and she is worried she’ll lose her families flower stall too. Her whole life has changed so drastically quick and she doesn’t like change at all.
This was really sad, so much had happened for her, her greaparents death, all the plants being moved to house and her mum and dad running the flowers stall, which made her mum angry and exhausted and then they fought all the time. It was a lot in a short time for a young child.
I think the way it was written was beautiful, it was perfectly written for the age demographic for this book. Family loss, big changes, parents fighting it’s all common things with families so I think it would be a really wonderful book for young readers to read it will help them if they are going through similar.
It’s also a really good story of changes and how they can affect everyone in a family, I really liked Blossom she was adorable and loved by everyone at the market. Her only real friend was her Tutu plant that kept her company all day reminding her of her Tutu. The illustrations were really sweet within the book and I liked seeing the market stalls come alive and the house full of plants within this book.
This is a very good, very sad, but very well written story of loss, change and dreams. It’s got a lot to offer and a great way of helping children in a similar situation but also just as a really wonderful story.
This was really sad, so much had happened for her, her greaparents death, all the plants being moved to house and her mum and dad running the flowers stall, which made her mum angry and exhausted and then they fought all the time. It was a lot in a short time for a young child.
I think the way it was written was beautiful, it was perfectly written for the age demographic for this book. Family loss, big changes, parents fighting it’s all common things with families so I think it would be a really wonderful book for young readers to read it will help them if they are going through similar.
It’s also a really good story of changes and how they can affect everyone in a family, I really liked Blossom she was adorable and loved by everyone at the market. Her only real friend was her Tutu plant that kept her company all day reminding her of her Tutu. The illustrations were really sweet within the book and I liked seeing the market stalls come alive and the house full of plants within this book.
This is a very good, very sad, but very well written story of loss, change and dreams. It’s got a lot to offer and a great way of helping children in a similar situation but also just as a really wonderful story.
October 24, 2024
I enjoyed this story. It dealt with tough life experiences sensitively and compassionately.
Blossom’s house is overrun with plants. They were Blossom’s grandmother’s plants. Her grandparents ran a market plant stall that Blossom’s parents now needed to run since the older family members had died.
This change of roles has led to lots of tension as her mother is studying and trying to make a different future for herself. Grandmother Tutu gave Blossom her favourite aloe vera plant, now a much loved and treasured possession. Blossom and her father want to continue the plant stall, but without her mother’s help, it won’t work. The family try to find solutions, but nothing seems obvious. How do they sort it?
There are lots of black and white illustrations that add richness to the story, giving the reader ideas of how the characters may have looked.
The story is recommended for independent readers aged eight years and older. The font is large, there is lots of white space which makes for easy reading. The themes include dealing with family tension, the threat of divorce, and the death of grandparents. While the style is easy for younger readers, a joint read with an adult will provide an opportunity to discuss the issues addressed. A great addition to a family, school or local library collection.
Blossom’s house is overrun with plants. They were Blossom’s grandmother’s plants. Her grandparents ran a market plant stall that Blossom’s parents now needed to run since the older family members had died.
This change of roles has led to lots of tension as her mother is studying and trying to make a different future for herself. Grandmother Tutu gave Blossom her favourite aloe vera plant, now a much loved and treasured possession. Blossom and her father want to continue the plant stall, but without her mother’s help, it won’t work. The family try to find solutions, but nothing seems obvious. How do they sort it?
There are lots of black and white illustrations that add richness to the story, giving the reader ideas of how the characters may have looked.
The story is recommended for independent readers aged eight years and older. The font is large, there is lots of white space which makes for easy reading. The themes include dealing with family tension, the threat of divorce, and the death of grandparents. While the style is easy for younger readers, a joint read with an adult will provide an opportunity to discuss the issues addressed. A great addition to a family, school or local library collection.
November 13, 2021
Well, this one had me in tears at the end. Barrington Stoke often delivers high-quality stories with a rich narrative in a very short space of time. Blossom is a young girl just about to begin Secondary School. She recently lost her grandparents on her father's side and with their deaths, her father inherits their famous flower stall. Whilst he is very happy to take over, Mum is not - she has other ambitions around the sciences. As they both argue over their own dreams and futures, Blossoms begins to see her world fall apart.
I had already praised Sequin and Stitch for similar exploration of family and people and Blossom is just as good if not that little bit better with a broader cast. Ogilvie's illustrations bring them all that little bit closer. As with all BS's books, these are deceptively simple stories with some real depth to them.
I had already praised Sequin and Stitch for similar exploration of family and people and Blossom is just as good if not that little bit better with a broader cast. Ogilvie's illustrations bring them all that little bit closer. As with all BS's books, these are deceptively simple stories with some real depth to them.
April 7, 2022
A lovely, charming, tender story about loss and dealing with loss and about nature and beauty of plants. It's written in a specific style suitable for reluctant readers or dyslexics. Given that the story is short and with short non-complicated sentences, it still manages to go in depth of characters while being poetic. Highly recommended.
November 8, 2021
4.5 stars
Lovely children's book, made me cry like a baby!
I love the way it approaches grief and change, and does not shy away from the harder bits (which a lot of children's books tend to do).
Really loved it!
Lovely children's book, made me cry like a baby!
I love the way it approaches grief and change, and does not shy away from the harder bits (which a lot of children's books tend to do).
Really loved it!
August 26, 2021
Full review to follow.
August 20, 2023
A sweet little book about family legacy, hard work, familial relationships, grief, and plants. 🪴 A lovely story for young children.
February 7, 2026
Just like nature, we can learn to adapt too. Change can be difficult but we can always find a way to grow. Life might not be the same as it was, or even how we like it, but it’s always OK in the end.
The people come first. If they aren’t happy, nobody is.
Never mind. Some people say it’s a blessing when we break into pieces. It gives us the chance to rebuild.
It depends what bit of the story you are looking at.
I wish there was a way we could make everybody happy.
At the end of the day I am totally exhausted with that proud feeling you only get when you’ve worked really hard at something you care loads about.
The people come first. If they aren’t happy, nobody is.
Never mind. Some people say it’s a blessing when we break into pieces. It gives us the chance to rebuild.
It depends what bit of the story you are looking at.
I wish there was a way we could make everybody happy.
At the end of the day I am totally exhausted with that proud feeling you only get when you’ve worked really hard at something you care loads about.
September 11, 2021
Blossom is a beautiful, heartwarming story about a young girl and her family’s market stall.
We see the aptly named Blossom experience a range of changes in her life. She loses both her paternal grandparents in a short space of time, meaning her father inherits the family market stall. This brings turmoil to her parent’s lives as they take over running it, Blossom and her dad want to follow in her grandparents’ footsteps, but her mum has her own ambitions. We see Blossom worry about what this could mean for the future of both the business and her family unit. Blossom has to learn how to cope with loss and change, and she goes through a range of emotions as the story progresses.
Written beautifully to be accessible for young readers and yet still with a sophisticated style.
This is a wonderful story, full of love, compassion, care, as well as learning to understand other people’s points of views and wishes.
Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy to review!
We see the aptly named Blossom experience a range of changes in her life. She loses both her paternal grandparents in a short space of time, meaning her father inherits the family market stall. This brings turmoil to her parent’s lives as they take over running it, Blossom and her dad want to follow in her grandparents’ footsteps, but her mum has her own ambitions. We see Blossom worry about what this could mean for the future of both the business and her family unit. Blossom has to learn how to cope with loss and change, and she goes through a range of emotions as the story progresses.
Written beautifully to be accessible for young readers and yet still with a sophisticated style.
This is a wonderful story, full of love, compassion, care, as well as learning to understand other people’s points of views and wishes.
Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy to review!
February 14, 2022
I’m always amazed at how a tiny book can pack such brilliance in so few pages. A whole cast of of fully fleshed out characters, a dilemma and stakes that make the reader invested. Also this had loads of plants in it which was cool and made it feel quite on trend!
August 13, 2022
A lovely book! I love the use of plants to help understand emotions and changes in life.
December 15, 2021
This is such a sweet little story, about a girl named Blossom whose grandparents have recently died, and their flower stall, which her parents have now taken over. Her mum is struggling to adjust to this, and as such, the flower stall’s future is in jeopardy. As someone who lost a grandparent this year, I found the portrayal of that specific bereavement really moving and I even teared up a few times. Blossom is an absolute precious angel of a character and I just wholeheartedly adored her, and I also really enjoyed her family dynamic. I also loved the flower stall and how special it was to the family, as well as the setting of the market and the characters that are featured there. Mossboy and snoopy Gilda were my very favourites, but I really enjoyed meeting everyone to be honest. The message that it’s important for women to get to achieve their goals and chase their dreams was really lovely as well, and overall, this is just a gorgeous wee book that any fan of MG contemporary would enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews