Flora's Surprise!

by Debi Gliori

Flora's brothers and sisters tease her when she "plants" a brick in a flowerpot and insists that she's growing a house.

It's springtime, and Flora's family is busy planting flowers and vegetables. "Why don't you grow something?" says Flora's Dad. "Some pretty flowers?" says Flora's mom. But Flora finds a brick and puts it in a flowerpot, insisting that it will one day become a house. Of course, her brothers and sisters laugh. But Flora has the last laugh in the following spring, when she discovers that a bird has made its home in her flowerpot.

Genres: Picture Books, Rabbits, Family, Storytime, Childrens, Gardening, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2003

About the author

Debi Gliori (born 1959) is a Scottish author and illustrator of children's books.
She grew up as an only child in Glasgow, and when young began drawing and writing stories. She started writing children's books in 1976, and attended art school in Edinburgh from 1979 to 1984. She then received a travelling scholarship award to go to Milan, and worked as a freelance from 1984 onwards.
She is the author/illustrator of many books for children including Mr Bear, the winner of a Children's Book Award. She is best known for her black comedy Pure Dead series for older children, which display strong elements of family lives amid dark and fantasy-based plots.

Reviews

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flora, the youngest in a big family of rabbits, plants a brick instead of seeds. She worries that it isn't growing into a house, especially as her older siblings' seeds grow into flowers and vegetables. The ending is surprisingly sweet.
Gardening
House

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a story, but is still simple enough to be enjoyed by very young children. The illustrations are beautiful, and there is a repeated refrain which makes it possible for kids to participate in the telling of the story.

[OxoNewbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming story with beautiful illustrations. The ending is heart-warming. I liked that the author has chosen unusual flowers such as amaryllis to stretch the reader's knowledge of flowers and expand the reader's vocabulary.

3 stars.

[susan nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

use with If You Hold a Seed by Elly Mckay and If You Plant a Seed by Nelson

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for preschool but some of the younger ones didn't really get the joke/twist. Even without it they liked the bold flower illustrations.

[Kymberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay for Flora's idea. :]

[Melanie Tillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and gentle. This book is an ode to the power of being positive. Would pair this with The Carrot Seed by Krauss.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

She wants to grow a house by planting a brick...and she does! A bird uses her pot for a nest.

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read while covering a co-worker's storytimes. The surprise is very cute.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little book for children with big dreams and imaginations. It is cute how the little girl wants to make a brick into a home. She understands that homes are built using bricks, but what her family doesn't realize at first is that not all homes are built from bricks. In the end though she shows her family, that this little brick can be a home for someone or something. The little black bird helps to show that concept by making its nest on top of the brick to incubate the eggs it has laid. One great think about this book is the use of the bird in the background of the pages. You can see it there looking at where the brick is, but you do not think anything of it till the end of the story. It is a cute way of sneaking in the ending of the book before we, the reader, even realize it.

I would recommend this book for grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

[Margaret Welwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was no use pretending. I confessed to the kindergartners before even reading them this story that I’d been surprised. SOMETIMES I can guess the ending to a children’s book, but not this time. It came as no surprise that Norah’s amaryllis, Cora’s tulips, and their brothers’ sunflowers, alfalfa and lettuce grew. But little Flora’s brick, so hopefully planted in a clay pot, didn’t even grow into a house when placed beside the towering sunflowers. Her family was very kind, of course, but truth be told, everyone had grave doubts that the brick would grow.

And then, after the bright fall and dark winter, the rabbit family emerged from their burrow to find . . .

a creature happy with her new home, and a beautiful ending to a lovingly illustrated and gentle story of hope and persistence.

[Danielle Harriger · Rating 4 out of 5]

PB 41: I enjoyed this book and I believe that young children would find joy in this clever book as well. This book resonated with me because I found Flora to be a realistic portrayal of a eager child. Flora’s belief that she could grow a house truly captures the innocence and lighthearted nature of children, and it made for a fun read aloud. The repetition of Flora saying, “it’s not a brick, it’s a house” encourages her unwavering faith in her endeavors, and the ending of the pot becoming a nest for birds was extremely clever. Thus, I would recommend this book because I think the author does a wonderful job of making believable characters in a creative and happy tale.

[Lisa Bricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful book follows the youngest in a family of bunnies. They all choose flowers and vegetables to plant in spring--Flora plants a brick (it will grow into a house, you understand). She is constantly mocked by her older siblings, but stubbornly refuses to admit they're right. Fall comes, winter comes and when spring comes again, well, you need to have paid attention to the little black bird that is on nearly every page. The family dynamics are spot-on, the illustrations are adorable and the resolution is surprising and satisfying. A story time favorite!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flora's Surprise was a great fun read. The illustrations were nicely done, they covered the majority of the pages with a lot of details and a lot of colors. All of Flora's family were growing plants and she decided to grow a house with a break. All her siblings plants grew and grew and hers didn't. The illustrations showed how she felt with the expression on her face. But then spring came again and a bird turned her brick into a home. It's a good book to teach a lesson about plants or even how different animals use their surrounds to make a home.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Flora's family is busy planting a flower garden, she decides to plant something herself: a house. She finds a brick and puts in into a flower pot and waits. The family repeatedly ask her how her brick is doing and she doggedly reminds them that it's not a brick, it's a house.

Readers are surprised at the end of the story when Flora's "brick" has indeed become the resting place for a birds nest: a house.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flora and her brother and sisters all plant something in the garden. Her siblings tease her because Flora has planted a brick which she insists is a house. While all of her siblings plants grow into beautiful flowers or food they can eat Flora keeps watch over her brick and rejoices when the first resident moves into the house she grew!

One of my absolute favorite read alouds about plants, garden, growing things etc.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I loved this. I mean first there were 8 kids, er, bunnies. How can one not love that? And with Flora being the youngest, well, that had a connection with me of course. It was a cute story. I liked the illustrations. It had a lot of gardening in it. And you could tell everyone in the family loved each other. I'd have to say my favorite picture was of the family at the dinner table.

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though her brothers & sister all think she is silly for planting a brick, Flora reminds them over and over that she's not growing a brick - she's growing a house! The rest of the family have beautiful flowers and veggies, but after a few seasons pass they find that Flora has indeed grown a "house".

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Ms. Kim

Love this book! It is so cute and has a gret story line that I can see students giggling over. The ending has a suprise twist. So I could see using this book to have the students write their own stories with suprise endings. Also, froma science point of view one could teach about how to grown a seed and what to do or not do.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Flora's Surprise, by Debi Gliori, Flora decides to plant & garden something a little more differently than of her family. The illustrations are very nice. The kids were humored with the story during preschool storytime. I believe though the kids need to stay attentive to the detail in order to understand the ending of the story. =)

[Bmack]

This is a really cute spring book about planting a garden. Youngest bunny Flora is given a pot to plant something in and she plants a brick to grow a "House". She is sure her brick will grow even when all the other rabbit children's plants are growing and hers is doing nothing. After winter comes and goes Flora gets a big surprise. Her potted brick did become a home! (for a bird's nest)

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flora's brothers and sisters plant several different kinds of flowers and vegetables in the garden. She is encouraged to pick something, so she plants a brick--hoping to grow a house. VERY FUNNY.

[Saralyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book was the adorable pictures. Flora's faces are really cute. And I didn't guess the surprise at the end.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a Gardening Program.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Flora's family is planting a garden and she wants to help. So she plants a brick, hoping for a house. The happy ending is sweet and funny.

[Tena Holdaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its not a brick its a house.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sweet story about a little bunny determined to plant and grow a house. A perfect match for preschool logic.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:
Flora insists her brick in a pot is a house and in the end it really is when a bird nests on top of it

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored this book! However, I will add that my 4 year old was quick to note that a brick can't and didn't grow, the bird (duck?) just laid it's nest over it....

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is too cute!