Journey to the Arctic: Go Behind the Scenes of The Garden at the End of the World

Journey to the end of the world with me and visit an island near the north pole where seeds from all over the world are stored for safekeeping. I share the inspiration behind The Garden at the End of the World, my fairytale adventure story about a girl who travels to the real-life Global Seed Vault to deliver precious seeds she has found. Includes facts about Svalbard and the vault, a reading of the book, seed guessing game, and discussion of how Briony Stewart created the artwork for the book using plant-inspired materials, including cyanotypes (sunprints) of real plants and charcoal (burnt wood) as well as photographs of scenes from Svalbard and the vault side by side with Briony’s illustrations.

Includes a reading of the book.

Optional: virtual tour of the vault (requires internet connection) and seed art activity.

Topics covered:

• The importance of seeds
• Food security
• Global citizenship
• Travel and adventure
• Life on Svalbard - from polar nights to polar bears
• The Global Seed Vault
• Optional craft activity: create your own seed art