Books by Adina

The Girl
Who Talks to Seeds

The Girl
Who Talks To Flowers

Bumble is in the fifth grade, and has always thought it was her fault her mother died when she was two and that her dad took off before she was born. She’s been raised by Grampa B who runs a plant nursery and tries to lighten his load by doing much of the greenhouse work of nurturing seedlings. She is vigilant about not being a burden, staying useful, and keeping out of trouble. However, to stop the class bully from hurting her best friend, she loses her cool and does something unimaginable that goes against everything she stands for. Weighed down by guilt for disappointing her family and only friend, she retreats to the greenhouse. She thanks a newly opened blossom for cheering her up, and to her surprise the flower thanks her back! As her relationship with the flowers in the greenhouse grows, she is filled with a longing for answers about her mother’s death. Will Bumble find healing from the ache she feels for a mother she barely remembers? Can her new flower friends help?

Now that she’s in sixth grade, Bumble was hoping to feel more content and settled. But she’s become restless and preoccupied with a question that has always nagged at her: why exactly did her dad leave before she was born? And why hasn’t he ever come back? With the help of her best friend Seebo, and the talking flowers she reunites with at a client’s garden, Bumble sets out to find answers. With only two clues—his common-as-clouds name and a tiny jar of seeds he gave Bumble’s mom before she was born—the odds are against finding him? And even if she does, will she be able to forgive what he’s done and accept who he is? As she comes to understand the sacrifices and compromises flowers and the wild weeds they co-exist with must make, Bumble must decide which compromises she is able to live with, and which sacrifices are worth making.

Stella Dreams of Trees

When Stella and her little brother Sammy fall asleep under the tree outside their house, they’re transported to the Dreamwoods, a magical forest where the trees speak, the raspberries are as big as roses, and the flowers look like Chinese dumplings. A friendly beech tree warns them to stay away from the Dark Forest, where shame and sorrow live. Sammy, embarrassed by his bedwetting, is drawn to and gets trapped in the Dark Forest. Stella must rescue him and fight back the vines that entwine him in the company of the residents of the dark forest — dying trees and dead stumps who harbor shameful secrets of their own. The only way Sammy can leave is to reveal his secret to the other little boy who is trapped by the vines, and who holds an even darker secret than Sammy’s. Stella, who has secrets of her own, must rescue both boys, but only by revealing her secret shame to Sammy.

Dearest Dandelion

When a Northern California hillside develops a puzzling illness, the trees, for all their boasting about being superior plants, are rooted to their spots and incapable of seeking help. But Dandelion and Milkweed, who have been condemned as blights on their pristine terrain, see an opportunity to prove they’re worthy of the soil they share. The dying weeds each dispatch one of their downy seeds on a mission to find a cure for their habitat. Our airborne heroes—a scrawny dandelion seed and a nearsighted milkweed seed—must navigate merciless and unpredictable winds, convince hungry birds not to eat them, and most importantly avoid sprouting before their quest is fulfilled. By reframing their flaws and frailties as gifts, the two seeds learn to work as a team as they battle natural and urban obstacles, not always emerging unscathed. They must stand up to the not-in-my-backyard flowers, shrubs, and grasses they encounter along the way who propagate unshakeable prejudices about weeds. In order to demonstrate how vital weeds are to the entire plant community, they must overcome the limitations of their wee stature and win the trust of judgy plants—or risk losing their beloved hillside home forever.

Marigold Picture Book Collection

One Cloudy Day

Marigold learns that without her usual sunny-day equipment—a hat that blocks her view, coconut-smelling sunscreen, and the hassle of carrying her water bottle—that she can experience her garden in ways she never did when the sun is shining.

One Rainy Day

Marigold discovers that there are endless shades of green that only show themselves when it’s raining.

One Brutally Cold Day

Marigold finds that a cold day may not look as pretty to her, but the real joy is in playing and having fun.

One Perfect Day

It is warm and sunny so Marigold expects to find perfect flowers in her garden. But when she discovers that the bugs, birds, and animals have nibbled away at their beauty, she learns that she can enjoy them even if they look imperfect.