The House of Lost and Found is a story about an elderly man named Niles who lives alone. He is lonely, his home is falling apart, and he does not take very good care of himself either. Then one day, a young child asks him to care for a plant. At first, he is unsure if he can care for the plant, but he decides to try. Caring for the plant renews his interest in caring for himself and his home. This is an absolutely gorgeous picture book about grief, healing, and the little things that matter. As someone who struggles to care for myself and my home due to grief and depression, and who has found strength in caring for animals (I tried plants but I do NOT have a green thumb and the plant died and made me feel even worse) this little children's book really touched me deeply. This book is for everyone, young, old, and in between.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

The storyline of this book is about lonliness, friendship, and what it is that makes life worth living. I rate the story as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

The absolute best thing about this book are the amazing illustrations. It is these beautifully rendered illustrations that elevates this book to 5 Stars.

Sorry. I am unable to review. The book doesn't download correctly. The print is to small to read and there is no way to enlarge it on my Kindle. I will look for a hard copy and if I locate one I'll write a review then. Thank you,

A stunningly gorgeous picture book with a story of how a small gesture transforms grief and loneliness to hope and connection. This tale will resonate with readers for decades to come. Highly recommended!

This book is hands down one of my top five, favorite children's books of 2018.

The story begins with Niles, an elderly man living alone in his old, creaky house. His children are grown and living away with families of their own, and his wife died years ago. Niles is sad and living out some very dark days. He doesn't feel like he has much purpose in life anymore. Even his cat decided to leave because the house is so dismal. One day, the little boy next door shows up late at night with a task for Niles. He's leaving for a holiday and needs someone to water his newly planted flower. Niles doesn't want anything to do with the neighbors or the flower, but he knows the boy will be upset if he doesn't take care of it.

He made coffee and took out two dry biscuits. "You can just stay where you are," he said over his shoulder to the flowerpot. He sat down. "I didn't ask you to come." He drank the coffee and ate the biscuits. "I should really throw you out," he told the pot. "But that might upset the young boy."

Surprisingly, the next day Niles begins to feel a little lighter and one by one, his days get a little brighter.

This book starts out fairly dark and depressing, but gradually becomes more and more beautiful as the story unfolds. The narrative goes back and forth a bit as Niles has many memories of his past. I had a lot of emotion when reading during these times. This book is full of hope and just a wonderful story. The illustrations are stunning! This is definitely a book that I want to keep in our home library. It's a book for all ages.

My mom quoted something to me recently about a book she had just read. She said, "Just one simple act of kindness can truly change the world." This is just one of the takeaway thoughts that I have after reading this children's book. Even though the little boy in the story doesn't know he's necessarily doing something kind for his neighbor, what he did truly changed his life.

5*****

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Niles lives alone in his old dirty house of memories. His children live far away, his wife died several years ago, and he lives with his memories.

Floris Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published tomorrow.

One evening, after he's in bed, he hears someone knocking on his door. He goes down to see who is bothering him and finds a young boy who is holding a flower pot. He asks if he will water his plant while they are on vacation? He grabs the pot, closes the door, and throws the pot on the table. He goes back to bed. But the next day, he waters the seed. Soon he sees new growth coming up. And, just like the plant, he feels himself begin to blossom with new life...

The illustrations in this book are lovely and this is a very sweet story. This one is a keeper.

This book tells the story of Niles who lived alone- his wife has died and even his cat disappeared. His children were grown and lived far away. One day he hears his wife calling to him to look at some of her artwork. He was filled with memories. Then it was time to go to bed. He was all comfy in bed when his doorbell rang and everything changed.

This is a great book about kindness towards others and the illustrations blow me away!

A Gorgeously Illustrated Book That Touches the Heart

I think of it as the picture book paradox. Often you will find a beautifully, or cleverly, or brightly, illustrated book only to discover that the text is lame or odd or aimless or otherwise unsatisfying. Or, you'll find an engaging or exciting or amusing narrative, but be left cold or disconcerted by the drawings. Well, this book quite neatly solves that particular problem. The drawings are exquisite and the narrative is compelling and touching.

The story is a simple one. We open with a double page spread of the saddest and loneliest house imaginable, lost in a sea of dead grass, grey sky, and rain. Niles lives alone in his "old, dim, creaky house". Everything is withered and everywhere is gloom. His wife has been dead for years; his children long gone. The house is occupied by ghosts, faded memories, and reminders of times long past. Unexpectedly, one day a neighbor child appears and simply, without leaving room for doubt or objection, delivers a potted seedling to Niles for safekeeping while the child is away on holiday. Niles is too surprised to refuse. What follows, of course, is Niles' reawakening to life and possibility.

The narrative is crisp, unsentimental, and economical. A perfect marriage of text and illustration shows us Niles' progress, and the narrative is handed off seamlessly from text to drawing to text and back to drawing. The colors lighten, the greys turn to greens and the landscape comes back to life.

This struck me as stunning as a story, as an example of poetically crafted storytelling, and as a work of art. The author is widely celebrated in his native Sweden, and it's a delight to have this translation now available. This is not only a wonderful book for the family shelf, it should have pride of place.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I enjoyed this picture book. I had a bit of a hard time seeing it on my kindle. I plan to buy this for my elementary library.

This was such a sweet book. It is about an old man who has been dwelling on the past and letting his home wither and age. A young boy asks for help taking care of a plant and the old man finally has something to look forward to - seeing what type of flower will bloom.

The book has gorgeous illustrations throughout and it is mostly a picture book that follows the old man in his home. The detail is AMAZING and I loved spending time on each page to look through all the details.

The story made me tear up a little at the end, it was very uplifting and a wonderful read. I think both parents and kids will really enjoy reading this one together.

Review on the blog will go live on the release date.

The House of Lost and Found is a tale of hope for all ages, told with stunning illustrations. In a quiet home filled with dust and memories, Niles lives all alone. His children are grown and live far away and his wife died many years ago. He spends his days lost in memories, remembering his children in their youth and his wife and her paintings that still hang in her studio.
When the boy from next door shows up in the middle of the night unexpectedly to ask if Niles will water his flower while he's away, grumpy Niles does so begrudgingly. By morning, Niles wonders what type of flower will grow and sets out to care for the emerging flower by cleaning his windows to let in some light. Caring for the the flower gives Niles something to look forward to and in turn he begins taking care of his home and himself once again.
The illustrations and mystery flower will appeal to emerging readers and the story will capture the hearts of mature readers.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.