Busy in the Garden [Hardcover]

George Shannon (Author), Sam Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2006 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Amazing Snakes! is the fifth title in an award–winning series of I Can Read Books that features photographs from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of the world's most esteemed wildlife conservation organizations. The exceptional writing and design of the I Can Read Books–paired with WCS's global research and conservation efforts, educational programs, and stunning color photographs–make this a standout series for children, caregivers, and teachers!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Twenty-four snappy poems revolve around the growing season. All are short; most are no more than four lines. Some are punny–Would You Carrot All to Dance? Others are riddles, such as A Riddle Picnic. Papa ate the root/and tossed the leaves./Mama ate the leaves/and said 'Mines best!/Brother ate the stem/and found no seeds./Sister ate the seeds/and tossed the rest. (Answers: carrot, spinach, celery, peas) Children will like the quick pace and the lilting rhythm. The jokes and puns will be better understood by adults, but young readers will grow into the humor. The watercolor illustrations will definitely appeal to the very young. Simple sketches are planted in the white space in and around the poems, uniting the text and art. Large paintings fill a few pages and give contrast to the smaller sketches. These seasonal poems can be shared one-on-one, read in storytimes, or alone. Selected single poems will fit especially well into garden-themed units.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. "Zucchini meeny miney moe. Plant a seed and watch it grow." Shannon celebrates garden magic in these cheerful verses for the picture-book crowd. No quiet, drowsy flowerbeds here. The gardens in these poems are filled with rowdy, joyful motion and noise that's sure to inspire listener participation: "Peppers in a polka / as the snow peas snapped. / Beans in a boogie / as the cabbage clapped." A few poems are riddles that call for challenging conceptual leaps, and the format is sometimes awkwardly presented; in "A Riddle Garden," for example, children may not initially identify the questions they're asked to answer. Still, the best selections are immediately accessible and bounce with humor and an irresistible beat. Williams' lively watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of children and animals digging in the rows shine with the colors of spring, although the many small images won't show well to a large crowd. Teachers may want to read the poems in science and poetry units, but the energetic, silly rhymes will easily draw fans outside of the classroom. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060004649
• ISBN-13: 978-0060004644
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,947,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It feels as though I have always been wrapped in stories and books. My parents read to me, and I in turn read to younger brothers. Family economics meant we couldn't own many books, but going to the library was as common as going to the market. I still have the books I received as gifts. They include two "Little Golden Books" that were savored in childhood, and have served as talisman ever since. THE BUNNY BOOK by Patsy and Richard Scarry (1955) and RABBIT AND HIS FRIENDS by Richard Scarry (1953).

Like all children I created stories as part of play. And, like some children, I was soon identified as one who "days dreams too much." I began writing stories when they were given as assignments in elementary school. By seventh grade I was writing even when there was no assignment. My dream of making books became so vivid, I submitted my first "formal" picture book manuscript to a publisher when I was sixteen. Eleven more years of school, work, reading, writing and luck finally brought about LIZARD'S SONG, my first children's book to be accepted.

Looking back, it seems especially appropriate that LIZARD'S SONG was my first book. Even though I had been writing for years, I always felt everyone else's life held better ideas for stories than mine did. I thought there was nothing about me that was interesting enough to make a good story. But I finally learned what Lizard teaches Bear. My best stories come when I tell or sing about what makes my home. What I love. What I fear. Things that have happened to me, and things I hope will happen. Things I like about me. Things I dislike about me. Things I understand, and things that still confuse me. So even though I am not a lizard, squirrel, chicken or rabbit, when you read my books you'll find little bits of what my heart calls home.

Picture books have been my professional focus now for 40 years. Reading them. Writing them. Sharing them with children. Teaching workshops and classes on writing them. Oh yes, and buying them. Lots of them. And now, blogging about them, and helping other writers.