In the Children's Garden [Hardcover]

Carole Lexa Schaefer (Author), Lynn Pauley (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Dig your toes into the dark, damp dirt and watch tall sunflowers float in the breeze. Taste the ripe tomatoes and crisp green beans. Lush illustrations and a lyrical text will inspire young readers to plant their own garden, whether it be in a backyard, a city street, or a flowerpot. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In what is the picture-book debut for both author and artist, ripe, robust prose describes the work of young gardeners in a community plot that blooms in Seattle. Beginning with the soil ("deep, dark dirt, rich with rotted grass, apple peels and onionskins") and seeds ("covered with dirt by hands that pat, pat, pat"), children tend the progress of their own kinder-garden. Soon, the empty brown lot erupts in a profusion of "strawberry clumps," "pumpkin tangles," "zucchini tumbles" and "green bean tents." The dynamic, sometimes unruly compositions and strong lighting in Pauley's sun-splashed illustrations evoke the untidy abundance and fertile abandon of nature; some, however, may find the palette garish. No romantic, thoughtful tendencies here--only exuberant, neighborly fun. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A noble but ultimately unsuccessful effort. From the welcoming open gate in the first pages to the final invitation to plant something of one's own (even in a flower pot), there is a curious lack of harmony between text and illustrations. The children, flowers, and vegetables are shown as slightly angular and sketchy, and don't seem to fit the urban oasis landscape. And when the text suggests some movement or recognizable scene, the pictures do not necessarily match. The "well-worn tools" are drawn garden-store fresh with shiny white plastic handles; the worms are never seen "tunneling in the deep, dark dirt" aerating the soil, but only in a blue box labeled WORMS. From the dusk jacket, readers learn that this is in fact an actual children's garden in Seattle. But from the text, they hear only "old city park" and see atypical Mediterranean style buildings rather than an inner-urban neighborhood. The children depicted have no ethnic diversity, unusual for any American city. The sense of community that such a project might inspire is also missing from the story's mood. Although the words are soft, the pictures are not. This book needs more room to grow.
Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holth & Co (J); 1st edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805019588
• ISBN-13: 978-0805019582
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,999,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read, Great Illustrations!, August 16, 2005

By 

Banu Angelillo (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Children's Garden (Hardcover)

I found the book to be a very enjoyable read. Ms Schaefer certainly has a fantastic imagination & expresses herself with much panache'! I do, however, find Ms Pauley's illustrations simply breathtaking! Her use of colors, vivid colors, is delicious! Just seeing her work makes you feel like you have a need to see all this woman has to offer on canvas! If this is Ms Pauley's first attempt at illustrating professionaly, god what has she been up to lately!? I'd love to find out! Bravo to these two incredibly talented women!

5.0 out of 5 stars A gardening delight in color & words, May 17, 2005

By 

C. McGraw - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Children's Garden (Hardcover)

It amazes me that the School Library Journal can see so much negativity in this wonderful inspiring colorful approach to gardening. The full page spreads depicting children among the flowers, fruits, vegetables alone are a feast for the eyes. The whimsical approach to the prose fits in very well with the theme & art work depicted on each spread: "In the Children's Garden, boxes, pots, and plots full of dirt and seeds get soaked by showers from clouds or hoses, buckets or cans, so everything stays drip-drop damp-even under the sizzling sun." A boy is shown watering with a watering can while the opposite page shows muted sprinklers watering the plants. The art work leaves the children's races up to one's imagination, as there are blondes, dark haired children with varying skin hues. This book truly celebrates gardening, and is a wonderful introduction of its pleasures for small children.