By George Shannon; illustrated by Sam Williams
Now that spring is here, my daughters are thrilled by the flowers blooming in our yard. My one-year-old picks every dandelion she sees. My older girl, who’s 4, chooses flowers to arrange in a vase. The highlight for me is the day we made flower crowns out of irises, camellias and those pretty red and yellow blooms from a bulb my husband filched out of the neighbor’s yard.
Busy in the Garden shares that delight in growing things with 24 infectious poems that celebrate gardens and garden-related activities. The best selections have a cadence so catchy the beat is palpable. Some of the poems contain puns (Celery dance?) and others are riddles that might be a little complex for younger kids:
A Riddle Garden
Mama planted summer hats.
Papa planted thread.
Sister planted ink stamps.
Brother planted bread.(Answers: straw, cotton, potato, wheat)
Simplistic, watercolor illustrations of gleeful gardeners, festive flora and frolicking fauna fill the white space around many of the poems, with a handful of full-page paintings providing a pleasant contrast.
Share this book with your favorite growing things.
Note: Reviewed by Deb Clark
Rating: *\*\*\
Comments