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.

Hercules & Poppy

Despite being named Hercules by his winning-obsessed Xtreme-athlete parents, Lee is more like the scrawny god of introversion. Since he plays classical piano like a pro, his parents have him on track to become the youngest student to ever win a spot at the prestigious Young Musicians Program at Juilliard. He’d much rather attend the Richardson University of Musical Adventure and Discovery (RU-MAD) where he can make his own music and study with his hero, LaViqa Odhiambo. Not only can he learn any piece after just one listen, his hearing is so sensitive, he’s learned how to communicate with flowers, whose vibrations inspire his piano improvisation. When he defies his parents’ ban on straying from the written music so that he’ll maintain laser focus on his upcoming audition, they threaten to sell his piano if he doesn’t get into Juilliard. Lee finds support from Poppy, a non-binary flower in his yard, who wants more from life than to just be gorgeous and get pollinated. Poppy longs to be a dancer on a real stage. How will Poppy’s quest to flout the rules of flowerdom help Lee overcome his stage fright and stand up to his parents?

Stella Dreams of Trees

Stella’s just moved to New Hampshire where she’s about to start Middle School. Stella’s begun to resent her mom’s priorities—especially her decision to stay in California for her job—and sees what it’s doing to her beleaguered dad and little brother Sammy, who’s a shy bed-wetter with no friends. When her anger balloons into genuine hatred, she secretly wishes her mom would fall and break a bone. Already struggling with insomnia and indecision, Stella now harbors secret shame. When she and Sammy discover a magical portal in their backyard that transports them to an idyllic oasis called The Dreamwoods, Sammy wanders off and gets lost in the adjacent Dark Forest. Stella must find a way to bring him home. But the Dark Forest is where secrets and shame entrap them. To be released from the Dark Forest, they'll have to share their secrets and let go of their shame.

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.