Book Reviews - October 2008
Children's Gardening Books
To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., Children’s Book Division, 2008.Hardcover, 34 pp., ISBN13: 978-0-15-205796-1; ISBN 10: 0-15-205796-X, $16.00.
Author Susan Swanson tells a delightful story of a child’s first venture into gardening in this picture book for children, ages 3 to 7. Beginning with the planting of a sunflower seed, the tale unfolds, as the seed becomes a tiny plant, which then grows and grows, finally topping its small gardener who gazes in wonder below. Illustrated in vibrant colors by Margaret Chodos-Irvine, the text explains some of the fundamentals of nature in a poetic style.
The Runaway Garden: A delicious story that good for you, too! by Jeffrey L. Schatzer. Ann Arbor, MI: Mitten Press, 2007. Hardcover, 32 pp., ISBN 13: 978-1-58726-436-8, ISBN 10: 1-587260436-6, $17.95
This award-winning picture book for children contains an enchanting fable of vegetables that ran away from a garden on a crisp fall evening under the charm of the moonbeams. Finding that such freedom was disappointing, they return to their home, serving as an example to all young readers who may wish to wander. The poetry of the text and a story line noted for its amusing play on words, along with colorful, imaginative illustrations, will delight all readers, young and old alike.
I Saw It in the Garden by Martin Brennan. Ann Arbor, MI: Mitten Press, 2006. Hardcover, 32 pp., ISBN 1-58726-296-7, $17.95.
Told in verse with colorful illustrations by wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe, this picture book for young readers by author Martin Brennan points out “what a person needs to do to make a garden grow.” Brennan traces the life of a plant from a seed’s first awakening until harvest when the young gardener finally puts away tools and boots.
The Far-Flung Adventures of Homer the Hummer by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds. Ann Arbor, MI: Mitten Press, 2005. Hardcover, 32 pp., ISBN 1-58726-269-X, $17.95.
Recounting the flight of a small hummingbird as it travels from its Costa Rican forest home to its breeding ground in a North American garden, author Cynthia Furlong Reynolds describes how the tiny creature faces incredible, life-threatening adventures flying across the Gulf of Mexico and over land in order to perpetuate its breed. The color illustrations by wildlife artist Catherine McClung are exquisite portraits of the sprightly avian creature in its habitat. This picture book for children encourages nature appreciation in youthful students.