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Celestine and the Magical Geranium

by Barbara Sala

40 pages; Saddle stitched; illustrated; catalogue #03-2283; ISBN 1-4120-1905-2; US$18.26, C$18.26, EUR12.47, £9.43

An inspirational story of a gentle love between Celestine and the Geranium flower. Richly illustrated by the author with her colourful primitive paintings, cherished by children.

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about the book      about the author      excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book Celestine and the Magical Geranium is a folk tale for kids age 5 and up. It recounts the story of a seed that grows into a gorgeous geranium flower, and of a gentle love that flourishes between Geranium and Celestine. It is a symbolic story which embraces the cycles of life, the flowering of seed thought which mirror inner growth as the flower evolves to build her golden castle. It is a spiritual story within which the child's mind soars "beyond the first floor, beyond the second floor" and beyond the roof of Celestine's house. In reading Celestine and the Magical Geranium, the child understands that "I too am growing up and doing great things. I too am a very special person." Barbara Sala's "Celestine and the Magical Geranium" is about the relationship between a girl and a special flower. The girl tends the flower which in turn nourishes her soul. People unintentionally destroy the flower in their overzealous enjoyment of it. The girl's hope is restored when she realizes that she can grow more geraniums from the seeds left behind. Sala's naïve artwork, rendered in acrylic and oil, is rich with bright colours. Carol-Ann Hoyte, Montreal Reviews of Books, Fall & Winter 2004/05, Volume 8, No. 1 Imaginatively written and colorfully illustrated for young readers 5 through 7 by Barbara Sala, Celestine And The Magical Geranium is the picturebook of a young girl and the geranium seed that will touch her life forever. The flower she raises is a friend and more, growing to touch the skies. All things come to an end, whether natural or hastened, and the girl and the magical geranium must say goodbye... yet their friendship lives on, and can be spread through the gift of seeds. A moving story about bonds to treasure and the cycle of life. Midwest Bookreview "Celestine and the Magical Geranium is a delightful book for young children. Barbara Sala has provided both text and pictures. The visual impact is particularly striking. The pictures are vividly coloured, and full of lively activity of many kinds. Children tend to like books with many things to look at. Here we have gardens, birds, animals, and a few people. The birds and animals seem in constant movement as the gardens flourish and the sun and sky peer down on an animated earth. The vitality of all this movement is stimulating." Sheila McDonough, PHD, Professor emeritus, author of Gandhi's Responses to Islam and other works. Ms Sala, after some years of creative work on individual canvasses, has decided to venture one step further and to combine the written word with her painting. Through this fusion she gives verbal expression, and opens our eyes and minds, to the hidden meaning of her visual creations. It is a book where magic reigns, where material needs and spiritual aspirations go hand in hand, one complementing and necessitating the other. The heroine Celestine (i.e., the "celestial" in a blue and white dotted dress - sky and clouds) is the conduit for the appearance in this world of the eternal spirit (the magical geranium). Its development and growth to a mythical size, its downfall and destruction by the mindless masses and its rebirth and multiplication from the one to innumerable smaller flower-spirits all over the island clearly demonstrate the author's faith in the invincibility of the human spirit. In the numerous illustrations the geranium is always surrounded by a plethora of plants, trees, animals and people. The whole is watching, bathed in a kaleidoscopic whirl of bright, enthusiastic colours. Rigas Bertos, PHD, Chairman of the Department of Art History, ret'd., McGill University. "Barbara Sala's work has opened my eyes to the sophistication inherent in naïve art, and the depth of the symbolism in her paintings. Her story "Celestine and the Magical Geranium" captivates and beguiles the reader - adult and child together - while subtly offering a lesson to treasure." Alcida Boissonnault, mother, grandmother, entrepreneur. What a wonderful book to share with children. Can be linked to science, and moral and religious instructions. Thank you for your wonderful vision." Patrizia Ciccarelli, Vice-Principal and teacher. "This book is a marvel. Children from any age will be touched by the colorful illustrations and the songlike texts will invite parents to read it over and over to their younger ones. I recommend it to everyone including adults!" Anna Urbani, creator of educational wooden toys. First I fell in love with the acrylic and oil paintings of Barbara Sala, while visiting the Musée d'art naïf de Magog. I stumbled upon these whimsical and poetic paintings à la Chagall, which are executed in exuberant colors. What a fertile imagination! What adorable people and animal characters! All in all, the images cheered me up and I felt proud to belong to the human race. Something, that doesn't occur very often these days. Then, I discovered Celestine and the Magical Geranium, a fairy tale for the young at heart, aged five to one hundred and beyond. Written in simple words and short sentences and accompanied by 21 sparkling illustrations. This is a love story of Celestine and her geranium flower and their mutual expression of tenderness and joy. Celestine waters the flower, while Geranium nourishes her soul. With on going loving care, Geranium cannot stop growing and soon grows through the roof of the house. Worried, that the stem might break, Celestine pleads with Geranium to stop growing, telling her that she doesn't have to touch the sky in order to be special to her. She reminds Geranium of the great joy she brings her. Geranium asks Celestine not to ask her to stop growing and Celestine who loves Geranium so dearly, respects Geranium's wish for freedom. Not content in simply growing, Geranium builds a marvellous castle among her petals. This attracts the attention of a multitude of careless visitors, who rip her leaves and bend her stem. When Geranium finally withers and dies, Celestine is broken hearted. But, in the seeds left behind by Geranium, Celestine finds her beloved friend in each new flower. Those who had been careless with her, learn to take care and respect the growth of their very own geranium. They also learn that they cannot own her beauty, but that they can let this beauty nourish their soul. "Seeds give us flowers and flowers give us seeds" thinks Celestine and becomes happy again. Her flower will always be next to her and will bring happiness to generations to come. This text contains uplifting spiritual concepts of the cycle of life and death and the links between them. Enhanced by the vivid illustrations and the enchanting nature scenes, this tale will fascinate children and feed their imagination. Barbara Sala is as unique as her geranium. I hope her talent is truly recognized and appreciated and her creative spirit never surrenders to the commercialism of our times. I await impatiently her next story, and I invite all of you to once again view the world through the eyes of a child and to fly on the coloured wings of tenderness, poetry and of love with Barbara Sala. Elaine Audet, writer, poet and publisher(Translation of French review by Elaine Audet of Célestine et le géranium magique.)

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About the Author Barbara Sala was born in 1937 and grew up in the Bavarian Alps. She left home to learn English and French. She became a secretary and found employment with the united Nations in the Congo. There she met her husband, gave birth to her son and daughter and escaped from the Congolese turmoils in 1967. After two more assignments with the UN in the Dominican Republic and Guyana, the family emigrated to Canada, Montreal in 1974. Here she worked as a real estate agent while raising her children. After a mid-life crisis in the late 70s she started painting and never stopped doing so. Barbara Sala belongs to the visionary types of naive (primitive) painters, who tell themselves fairy tales on canvas. Essentially self-taught, she fills her canvases with people and animals together with magical and mystical symbols. Her brightly coloured works aim to evoke a time of innocence and childlike wonder. Since 1985 she has participated in many group and solo exhibitions in Canada and abroad.

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Excerpts

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Catalogue Information

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