Lola Plants a Garden (Lola Reads)

by Anna McQuinn (Author) Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
Series: Lola Reads

How does your garden grow?

Book-loving Lola is inspired by a collection of garden poems that she reads with her mommy. She wants to plant her own garden of beautiful flowers, so she and Mommy go to the library to check out books about gardening. They choose their flowers and buy their seeds. They dig and plant. And then they wait. Lola finds it hard to wait for her flowers to grow, but she spends the time creating her own flower book. Soon she has a garden full of sunflowers and invites all of her friends for cakes and punch and a story amongst the flowers.

Lola is a beloved character that continues to shine for young readers. Her curiosity and love of books is infectious. Parents and children love sharing Lola's stories.

Rosalind Beardshaw's beautiful illustrations highlight Lola's close-knit family and how they use stories and books to interact with their world. Lola's brightly colored and growing garden is the perfect surrounding for this bright little girl.

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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1--Lola loves her book of garden poems. In fact, reading it inspires her to plant her own garden, so she and her mother look at flowers in books at the library, and she chooses her favorites. They purchase seeds, and Lola plants them and marks the rows with the seed packets. While she waits for something to appear, she makes her own garden book and includes her favorite poem, "Mary Mary." Finally, Lola sees tiny green shoots. She watches as her flowers grow higher and higher. Flowers are everywhere. Lola invites her friends for a picnic, because the best part of having a garden is sharing it. This fourth, sweet story about Lola delivers with brightly colored acrylic depictions of an adorable child sharing special moments with her mother, reading books, and patiently waiting for her seeds to grow. Lola's bright, cherubic face shows curiosity, joy, and determination as she completes her project. Large, clear type allows for beginning readers to share the story with their parents. Engaging and inspiring to new gardeners everywhere, Lola is a delight.--Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

PRAISE FOR LOLA

Lola at the Library "Perfect for instilling a love of libraries and books in the youngest patrons, it's a winner."
—School Library Journal Lola Loves Stories
"The simple and straightforward text is easy to read, and the bright, acrylic illustrations are eye-catching. This engaging depiction of a child's enthusiasm for being read to is an excellent choice for libraries." —School Library Journal, starred review

Lola Reads to Leo
"A welcome edition about a welcome addition." —Kirkus Reviews
Anna McQuinn
Anna McQuinn is the author of more than twenty books for children, including WANDA'S WASHING MACHINE (Tiger Tales). She also works part-time as a librarian, running family book groups. Anna lives in Slough, England.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781580896955
Lexile Measure
470
Guided Reading Level
J
Publisher
Charlesbridge Publishing
Publication date
March 14, 2017
Series
Lola Reads
BISAC categories
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV047000 - Juvenile Fiction | Books & Libraries
Library of Congress categories
African Americans
Family life
Gardening
African American girls
African American families
Flower gardening

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