Beautifully illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, an inspirational
biography of the Peace rose and its creator digs deep into world
history, botany, and the rewards of perseverance.
From a young man's experiments in cross-pollination to the rose that
became an international symbol of hope, this gentle picture book
biography, beautifully illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, is a quiet
epic of war and peace. Francis Meilland was passionate about roses. He
loved their rich perfume, their buds unfurling in the summer sun, and
their petals, soft as lambs' ears. Like his father and grandfather
before him, Francis cultivated flowers on the family farm in France. In
his teens, he set about grafting and experimenting, determined to create
a rose no one had seen before, and as the world braced for World War II,
he rushed cuttings to rose-growing friends around the globe. Six patient
years later, word reached him: his rose had not only flourished; people
were calling it the Peace Rose. An ideal gift for science and history
buffs and for gardeners of all ages, this life story of a special flower
is also a love song to living a dream from beginning to end, through sun
and through storm.