The Garden in Our Yard (1995)

 How can children learn about gardening? The Garden in Our Yard by Greg Henry Quinn a story that attempts this task. "It's spring again," is the first line, of course. We need spring to begin the work of planting seeds. This book is written in a rhyme that mostly works well. The characters are not named, but look like a young family of four--two parents and two children. The family garden must be weeded and watered. The children see tiny leaves grow. In the fall, "We find bright Red tomatoes, And crooked yellow squash, A black eggplant, Long green beans, and Carrots we must wash." Maybe this is one way to encourage children to eat their vegetables. At the end of the book, the garden sleeps beneath winter snow. The children dress in brightly colored sweaters (one of them wears a red hat that looks like a tomato), visit the garden, and anticipate spring. Lena Shiffman's  illustrations are lovely. 

*The Secret World of Walter Anderson (2009)

 *The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass (2009) is the story of “the most famous American artist you’ve never heard of.” Walter Anderson was passionate about painting the natural world. He was so passionate that he would row – alone – 12 miles from his home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi  to Horn Island. There he would stay for weeks at a time journaling and painting what he saw. This book is beautifully illustrated by E.B.Lewis. On the cover, we see Anderson rowing out to his favorite island. On island, we see him following hogs to find fresh water, eating whatever in the shade of his upturned skiff, and feeding a wild rabbit. Anderson locked a room in his home to prevent anyone from entering. Upon his death, his widow found the room was wall to wall paintings. There are many youtube videos about Walter Anderson. He is a famous artist I’d never heard of. 

the wonderful happens (2000)

 the wonderful happens by Cynthia Rylant (2000) is another one of her feel-good stories. Illustrations by Coco Dowley emphasize the point. Take bread, for example: “the earth grew the wheat, the wheat made the flour, and the wonderful happened.” Eggs hatch bluebirds, seeds become roses. “water makes tea, apples make pie, and it snows.” Rylant ends with the miracle of children. “you happened like bread, like a bird, like rain.”  It’s a lovely book for happy, even charming, moments. 

*The Hare Who Wouldn't Share (2024)

I’m happy to say that The Hare Who Wouldn’t Share by Steve Small (2024) is not a remake of Kadin Nelson’s story. Yes, the main character is another rabbit—ok, a hare—whose motto is, “The more I give away, the less there is for me.” When a family of rabbits moves into the neighborwood and asks for food, Hare says, “Turn around, Rabbit, and go look elsewhere.” With a theme slightly reminiscent of Stone Soup, the rabbits make a meal to share with other little forest creatures. Even after the rabbits plant their own vegetable garden, little forest guests continue to share in the harvest. Hare doesn’t join in. Then, Hare encounters a boar. The boar stomping through the forest in search of food, and Hare reconsiders its situation. With a change of heart, Hare’s strategic response is a page-turner.

*If You Plant a Seed (2015)

If You Plant a Seed by Kadin Nelson (2015) is a beautiful book illustrated with lovely paintings. The cover is a close-up of a rabbit and a mouse that radiates light and color. It appears they’ve  collaborated to plant something. They gaze at a young seedling that’s emerging from rich brown soil. We can infer they’re anticipating a delicious meal. The cover hints at the plot with such subtlety as to be invisible until after reading the book.

It takes only a few pages for these friends to joyfully munch on carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage. So what’s left to tell? Now, the real story is revealed. A finch, cardinal, blue jay, crow, and dove notice the garden. They fly down to share the bounty.  In response, rabbit and mouse “plant a seed of selfishness” and the food fight that follows creates a chaotic mess. Rabbit and mouse must reconsider their situation. Their new decision to plant a seed of kindness reaps many rewards.

The text is sparse and in a large font. Nelson’s stunning illustrations tell the story. Nelson won a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Award for this book.

I wrote a blogpost about this book here. 

The King Who Rained (1970)

 The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne (1970) is a book of metaphors. The illustrations are hilarious. For “Daddy says there are forks in the road,” we see a picture of cars driving on roads made of huge forks lined end to end. When dad gives the house two coats of paint, we see a house with two huge coats covering the entire roof. Metaphors can be very difficult for some speakers of English to understand. This book makes light of the peculiarities of the English language. 

*Leonardo's Horse (2001)

Leonardo’s Horse by Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott (2001) is a masterpiece. Young readers will appreciate the reading level at grades 1 – 4. Middle and high schoolers can research the many references to Leonardo de Vinci, his endeavors, his contemporaries, and the setting in which he lived. This book condenses a huge amount of information into a cohesive, easily readable story. The gifted and talented child struggling in a one-size-fits-all educational system may identify with Leonardo.

We meet Leonardo as a teenager, a child who is remarkably different from his peers. Lucky for him, his parents appreciate his talent. They send him to Florence, Italy, to study art. “He could never be just one thing. He was an engineer, an architect, a musician, a philosopher, an astronomer.” Multiple interests and responsibilities combined with the limitations of his moment in history make it difficult to manifest all his dreams. His lifelong aspiration to cast a 24-foot horse never materializes. But Leonardo’s passing in 1519 is not the end of the story.

More about this book is on my Wordpress blog.

The Fortune Tellers (1992)

 The Fortune Tellers by Lloyd Alexander (1992) is a humorous story about an old fortune teller who really does predict the future, in a way. When a young adult asks if he will be rich, the old fortune teller replies “‘Rich you will surely be. . . On one condition: that you earn large sums of money.’” The old fortune teller predicts his customer will be happy “‘if you can avoid being miserable.’” The young man is ecstatic. Quite by accident, he finds himself taking the place of the old man. Wealth and good fortune follow. What happened to the old fortune teller is intended to be funny, I suppose. Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations are richly detailed. They are the reason I picked up this book. 

Louie the Buoy (2005)

 Louie the Buoy: A Hurricane Story by Allain C. Andry, III (2005) is an insightful tool for educating readers about Hurricane Camille. They'll also learn about the role of a buoy. We learn that the United States Coast Guard made deep holes in the sand to hold Louie the Buoy firmly in the Bay of St. Louis. (Yes, go get your maps!) Louie the Buoy has a light that flashes at night. It’s on a nautical chart so boat captains know where it is. Unfortunately, Hurricane Camille pulls this proud buoy right out of the sand and tosses it aside. Louie feels he's failed at his job; he's so sorry that he's blown off his post. It turns out he stood his ground a very long time. “There is no reason for you to be ashamed. In fact, because you were the very last buoy to remain standing in this giant hurricane, Louie, you are a hero!” Tazewell S. Morton, III’s brightly colored illustrations depict a bustling seacoast, frightening dark storm, and grateful recovery. 

The Happy Day (1949)

 The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss (1949) is a book for the babe and toddler. This is a book I would read to an infant as they fell asleep. Toddler’s will enjoy memorizing the repetitive text. It matches exactly the illustrations. I predict they will pick up this book and pretend to read independently. Marc Simont’s drawings won a Caldecott Honor. Not much action in this story. Animals are hibernating under a snowy landscape for much of it. Then, one day, they all awaken and sniff something special in the air. They all run to find ... it’s too special to give away here. But their joy emanates from the page. We’re all happy. 

in Just Spring (1923, 1998)

 in Just-spring by E.E.Cummings (1923 first copyright) is illustrated by Heidi Goennel (1988) in a thin book with large print. This book is for the very young poet, or anyone who loves to play with language and how it appears on a page. The word “mudluscious” has got to be the most fun word I’ve ever read. I imagine it was a challenge for Goennel to illustrate this poem. Her pictures are minimalistic; the children have no faces. I suppose you could say they correspond to a minimalism in the poetry. I don’t know how to talk about poetry, so I’ll leave it to the more knowledgeable to enjoy this book.

*Home Place (1990)

 *Home Place by Crescent Dragonwagon (1990) has a premise that unfolds gently and leaves a powerful impact. For the first page, we see Jerry Pinkney’s distinctive style in a close up of daffodils growing in the woods. They come up every year, despite any human intervention; they were tended in the past. We know this by the remnants of a home hidden in the weeds. A couple and young girl come upon these things while on a hike. They stumbled upon history. The girl discovers “A round blue glass marble, a nail. A horseshoe and a piece of plate. A small yellow bottle. A china doll’s arm.” Pinkney offers a visual, a family of color. Dragonwagon suggests what this family was doing, once upon a time. I just love this story, perhaps because I’m old enough to have family memories.