Garden Walk

The garden may delight the story’s characters, but this book won’t delight many readers.

PreS-Gr 3--Ink drawings, the color of indigo, show four children romping in the garden with an elderly woman who happens to be their grandmother. As they play, they point out the treasures, and these are superimposed in gigantic isolation against the illustrations in full-color photography: a ladybug, or a tomato, five stringy green beans, or two bright orange carrots. The raspberries of a low bush do indeed look good enough to snack on, and a radiant pink gladiola has delicate blushes of gold that will make readers want to pull the page closer. At the end, Grammy and the four children, who are all white, spread out a garden picnic (recipes are included) and relax for a meal. The simple concept--a muted backdrop, though busy with children and activity, for vibrant labeled spot photos--provides focus for the stars of the garden, including the pets that roam freely and visitors, such as dragonfly, scrub jay, and wasp that coexist among the plants and trees. It's a little like the view from the kitchen window--you never know what you'll see. VERDICT One for the garden shelves, or intergenerational collections, this is an excellent book for vocabulary building with lap-sitters or in preschool settings.--Kimberly Olson Fakih

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"One for the garden shelves, or intergenerational collections, this is an excellent book for vocabulary building with lap-sitters or in preschool settings."—Kimberly Olson Fakih "Library Journal" (1/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)