Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant

This is a reprint of the 25 year-old classic by Gavin Bishop that has been delighting children and adults alike for years. Mrs McGinty is a very grumpy, moaning old woman whose life is grey and bleak and lonely - until one day she buys a little plant which grows and grows and grows. Mrs McGinty becomes famous and happy and makes friends - the plant has transformed her life. Because MRS MCGINTY AND THE BIZARRE PLANT is set in Christchurch and features such Christchurch icons as the Edmonds Baking Powder factory the book has become a classic in the minds of thousands of South Islanders. First published by OUP in Australia and New Zealand in 1981 and winner of the Russell Clark Medal for illustration in 1982, the book is ready for a comeback to entertain a new generation of children. This year is the 25th anniversary of MRS MCGINTY AND THE BIZARRE PLANT and, as part of the 2006 Christchurch Writers Festival, there was a three week exhibition called MRS MCGINTY AND FRIENDS at the Our City centre in the heart of Christchurch.