  | Fanciest flower Author: Benton, Summer | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Ferny O'Violet always knows the perfect flower to brighten someone's day. But when a customer comes into her shop who wants something no one's ever seen before, Ferny gives her a flower that actually isn't a flower at all! And even worse, now everyone wants one for themselves. What's a florist to do when she's selling a lie?
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/15/26)
School Library Journal (03/20/26)
Booklist (03/01/26)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2026 Vibrant digital illustrations bring this whimsical picture book to life as readers meet Ferny, a florist who truly loves her craft. Ferny has a gift for selecting just the right flower for every customer, and her shop blooms with creativity, care, and joy. Trouble begins when a particularly picky customer is dissatisfied with Ferny’s beautiful offerings. In a moment of self-doubt, Ferny compromises her standards and convinces the customer that an ordinary fork is actually the rarest flower of all. What starts as a small fib spirals into an avalanche of customers clamoring for the so-called “Fork Flower.” As Ferny becomes consumed with pleasing everyone, she loses sight of what made her work meaningful in the first place. It takes a gentle reminder for Ferny to rediscover the beauty she has been ignoring. Her honest admission and return to her true self deliver a thoughtful message about integrity, confidence, and staying true to one’s values. This beautifully illustrated story is a good addition to large children’s collections in need of more SEL titles. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 03/20/2026 K-Gr 3—This modern story is about Ferny, with pale skin and red hair, who grows flowers and sells them in her flower shop. Her specialty is finding exactly the right flower for each customer. One day a customer stumps her with a request for something fancy that no one has ever seen before. In desperation, Ferny gives the woman a fork, explaining that no matter what it looks like, it is, in fact, the fanciest flower of all. The woman has a party and everyone is very impressed and wants to have a fork instead of a flower, until Ferny runs out of cutlery and has to give a boy her very last flower. She realizes that growing the flowers makes her happy and tells her customers that from now on, she's growing flowers not forks. The brightly colored, cartoonish artwork is a good match for the funny story. It has a kind of a folktale feel, not unlike "The Emperor's New Clothes," but it's hard to imagine the lesson that the author is trying to put forth. VERDICT For libraries that need more nonsense in their collections.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
