Review: CARROT CONTROVERSY
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
This short e book of less than thirty pages relates the story of two rabbits named Rose and Mark who work at a plant nursery. Mr. Scope, the goose who owns the company, wants to find out which of his two employees is the better gardener because the owner has dreams of traveling and wants to choose the most competent rabbit to manage his business. Mr. Scope presents each of them with a plot of land, garden tools, and carrot seeds.Now the trouble begins as the two best friends become dire rivals. Rose becomes boisterous and overconfident. At last the day arrives when the carrots appear to have matured. Mr. Scope is about to decide the winner. Who will become "the boss?"  What will happen to the deep friendship Rose and Mark had built? Will the nursery continue to grow and prosper?I really enjoyed the story written in simple verse appropriate as an early reader for children. The rhythm and repetition encourage a child to read and reread. The embedded lessons are valuable for all children to learn. The one thing that bothered me is the reason I did not rate the book five stars. In this second edition of the book, there are several formatting and editing issues. Text and illustrations are not evenly placed. Punctuation marks are in the wrong place or included before rather than at the end of the sentence. Putting these things aside, the book is recommended for early readers in the elementary grades.