Grandpa's Garden PB
In early spring Billy begins to help his grandpa in the garden. He finds the digging hard and the waiting harder still, but he enjoys sowing seeds, planting sprouted potatoes, watering, and watching the plants grow. In summer they weed and start to pick the many vegetables. And in autumn they set aside seeds and enjoy roasting potatoes over a fire. Told from Billy’s point of view, the story reads aloud smoothly, but it sometimes sounds too poetic to be convincing as a child’s narrative. The extensive back matter includes plans for a four-plot vegetable patch, information on crop rotation, a recap of Grandpa’s gardening activities each season, and gardening tips that seem overly detailed given the book’s audience (“Plant your potatoes outside in trenches about 30 inches apart with 10–15 inches between each potato”). Colorfully illustrated with oil pastels, this English picture book shows the progression of a garden through the year. Still, with so many fine garden-related picture books available, this is a supplemental purchase for many libraries. Preschool-Grade 3. --Carolyn Phelan--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.