Personalised book about helping in the community: your child and the Soup Kitchen Garden

What happens in your child and the Soup Kitchen Garden

1. Your child arrives at the busy shared allotment.
2. An older neighbour needs help carrying seeds and tools.
3. Your child takes on careful jobs around the growing beds.
4. A sudden shower makes the garden work harder.
5. The first harvest is gathered for the soup kitchen.

How the first page could read

On Saturday morning, your child followed the path between the allotment beds, where beans climbed strings and raindrops shone on the soil. By the tool shed stood Mrs Patel, holding a paper packet of seeds and looking at a heavy basket. “Could you give me a hand?” she asked.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

For children aged 6 to 10, this is a grounded story about noticing what needs doing and getting involved without needing to be the biggest or strongest helper. Your child has practical jobs to do: carrying seed packets, labelling rows, watering seedlings and gathering vegetables. The shared allotment gives each task a clear purpose, while the soup kitchen shows where the garden’s produce goes. It opens up useful conversations about neighbours, shared spaces and the many small ways people can contribute. With your child drawn from their photo, a child can picture themselves offering a hand in their own local community.

Reading it together

• Pause at each garden task and ask your child what job they would choose to help with.
• Talk about a shared place your family knows, such as a garden, library or community hall, and who helps look after it.
• After reading, let your child make a short list of small helpful jobs they could do at home or nearby.

Suggested art style: Coloured pencil

Coloured pencil brings the seed packets, hand-written labels and leafy allotment beds to life with a warm, detailed feel. A sidekick idea: Moss, a robin who watches from the bean poles. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.