Mary A. Agria

SECOND LEAVES

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:57:52 +0000

A deft fusion of storybook, early reader and beginning botany book, SECOND LEAVES: GROWING YOUNG GARDENERS is a child’s view of gardening with an adult who cares about growing and them. We all spend a lifetime searching for our “second leaves”. What better place than in a garden?

SECOND LEAVES Earns Strong Reviews

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:00:17 +0000

The arduous six months of edits and proofs on the way to publication was worth it. SECOND LEAVES: GROWING YOUNG GARDENERS has been published to rave reviews from horticulturists and teachers. “Thrilled,” says consultant and well-known Michigan gardening expert, David Kidd; “As is so often the case, adults will learn as much as the kids.” “A superb addition to the school library,” adds Colorado reading specialist Janet Beam Smith, for use individually or in science classes.

Theme of the children’s book is the importance of intergenerational gardening and the life-lessons of patience and persistence that plants can teach on their journey to maturity. In humans, the storyline subtly hits home, that quest is a life-long adventure. [see BONUS MATERIALS on this website to download free coloring pages for use as a follow-up with the SECOND LEAVES story.]

SECOND LEAVES has been praised also for its stunning photography, including closeups of plants from seed to flowering. The text functions as both storybook, early reader and beginning botany. Budding gardeners are exposed to the hero/heroine’s garden journal and invited to think about their own garden planning. Parents, grandparents and teachers can use the illustrations and text to teach children basic botanic and horticultural concepts and terms.

“After the 8th set of full-color proofs I vowed, Never again!” laughs the author. “How can so few words take so much time? But then before I knew it, I found myself staring at the computer screen, drafting the outline for a sequel, BULBS AND TUBERS AND CORMS, OH MY! Only this time, we will grow and photograph the plants using garage sale fish tanks.” One of the downsides of the work on SECOND LEAVES was the trail of mud from the sun room to the dining room as the author moved seedlings on a daily basis to take advantage of the more controlled light.

Book tour for SECOND LEAVES will begin with a full-day appearance by Mary Agria on Saturday, June 9th for the Garden Expo at Mosquito Hill Nature Center near New London, WI. Her morning workshop LIFE IN THE GARDEN begins at 10:30 AM. A children’s workshop is scheduled for 1 PM. Consult the article on her upcoming tour and the updated calendar for other events and signings.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 2012 Book Tour

admin — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:36:56 +0000

—Author Mary Agria will kick off her Midwest summer tour 2012 with events celebrating the anniversary of the Mosquito Hill Butterfly House in Wisconsin and an Author Chat at the Petoskey Public Library in Michigan in June. The tour will feature the release of her new children’s book, SECOND LEAVES, set for spring 2012. The book is illustrated with work by the author’s husband John, a professional photographer.

Book and garden clubs or other venues that would like to book a reading, signing or talk by author Agria can now contact this website as well as via email (agriainc@msn.com). The author’s first extensive West Coast tour is planned for January and February of 2012.

New TIME IN A GARDEN blog

admin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:40:40 +0000

—BLOG WITH ME: Come fall, the author is moving—from New York to Tempe, Az—and so will her blog. For the past year a favorite on North Fork Patch, her TIME IN A GARDEN blog celebrated the beauty of eastern Long Island. Starting in fall, the blog will cross the time and growing zones, with near-daily updates on all things garden and gardening from coast-to-coast. Stay tuned for the LINK that lets you join the journey.

GARDEN OF EVE —

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:53:12 +0000

Garden writer Eve Brennerman is starting over when she finds a car stranded in the parking lot of the nursery she has inherited. Fate? Coincidence? Against all odds in Michigan’s wintery February, her garden has begun to grow.

TIME in a Garden

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:51:53 +0000

— Gardening tips abound in this best-selling novel about a crew of senior citizens gardening together to beautify their struggling rural community. Adam and Eve in the garden.

Community of Scholars

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:48:44 +0000

— Accusations of sexual harassment lead to intrigue, violence and murder on a quiet campus in Pennsylvania, challenging Professor A. J. Ferinelli to rethink his assumptions about academic life.

In Transit

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:44:25 +0000

— This is not how RV-er Lib Aventura thought her retirement dream would turn out.Widowed only three years after she and her husband sell their home and go full-time RV-ing, Lib refuses to live vicariously through her adult children and musters the courage to return to the UP to reclaim her abandoned motorhome. Her journey is only beginning.

VOX HUMANA: The Human Voice

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:12:27 +0000

Job counselor and amateur weaver and organist, Char Howard makes a career of helping others “find their voice”. Force-retired at 59, she is spiritually and emotionally adrift as she returns to her hometown of Hope in western Pennsylvania. Her life-changing journey is only beginning. VOX HUMANA celebrates the transforming power of friendship, family, community and shared human work—a powerful song of hope for those facing watershed moments in their lives, for the generations struggling to reconnect and for anyone confronting what makes our human experience meaningful. “A reflective portrayal of the ascent of goodness, reconciliation and love.” American Guild of Organists Magazine, 2007 — Suffolk Times, 2006

What Reviewers Say…

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:51:01 +0000

“A must-read for the contemplative gardener. . .” – Suffolk Times, 2006 — “Richly drawn characters who continue to be haunted by ultimate questions of mortality and spirituality… pure wisdom.” 5-Stars, Amazon.com — “. . . one of my top ten best reads. The characters are beautiful. I loved this book. It garnered positive reviews from our book club.” Barnes & Noble, 5-Star Review — “From the very first paragraph until the very last, I was hooked.” 5-Star Review, Amazon.com — “A unique voice; excellent, intelligent, witty writing; simply wonderful. Engaging, interesting, believable writing; pure magic.” Gather.com -– “One of the most thought-provoking, profound yet beautifully, simply written books I have ever read,” Naples, FL

VOX HUMANA: The Human Voice — “A reflective portrayal of the ascent of goodness, reconciliation and love.” American Guild of Organists Magazine, 2007

IN TRANSIT
— “Wisdom, the kind that only a lifetime of experience can wield. Like Lib Aventura, may we never grow too old to live.” Dan’s Hamptons, 2008

— COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS — “Five Stars, highly recommended. . .a riveting thriller of academe.” Midwest Book Review, 2009