My Garden [Library Binding]

Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden.

How does your garden grow?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—Imagination grows and spreads from the fertile pages of this book to the minds of young readers. Henkes's familiar illustration style invites children into a most unusual garden. It never needs weeding, the flowers are ever-blooming, and colors change just by thinking of them (even into patterns). "In my garden, rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them." Jelly beans would grow on bushes. Tomatoes would be the size of beach balls, but "carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots!" Intense pastel colors and soft navy outlines bring the perfect garden to life. Colors splash across the pages, matching the enthusiasm of the text. The vibrancy and size of the artwork make this an excellent choice for groups, large or small. A must for every library.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

A young girl’s garden grows as big as her imagination in Henkes’ latest title that employs what seems to be the elements of his current artistic period: thick outlines; boldly applied, ice-cream parlor colors; and simple declarative sentences. After describing how she helps her mother water and weed, a young girl imagines her own silly and sweet garden filled with eternal flowers that can change color and pattern, chocolate rabbits, seashells that grow new seashells, and a giant jelly-bean bush. (No carrots, though—yuck!) The story’s shift back to the real world is visually and textually subtle and possible to miss, but kids are sure to forget any confusion amid the giggles and dreams the story inspires. While this botanical fantasy may end with a contented sigh instead of an impressed “wow,” it is still an enjoyable tour of an imaginary place and will plant creativity and satisfaction in young minds. Preschool-Grade 1. --Andrew Medlar --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061715182
• ISBN-13: 978-0061715181
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,757,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Henkes is the creator of many distinguished books for children, including Kitten's First Full Moon (winner of the Caldecott Medal), Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and Chrysanthemum. His novels for young people include Olive's Ocean (a Newbery Honor Book) and Bird Lake Moon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sows the seeds of imagination, February 28, 2010

By 

Brimful Curiosities (WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Garden (Hardcover)

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, move over. There's a new girl in the garden -- a happy, little daydreamer who envisions chocolate rabbits, jelly bean bushes and seashell fields. Kevin Henkes sows the seeds of imagination and illustrates with colors of spring in his newest picture book, My Garden. A barefoot little girl helps her mother in a cheery garden by watering and weeding the plants. All the while, she fantasies about her ideal garden.

"In my garden, the flowers could change color just by my thinking about it -- pink, blue, green purple. Even patterns."

The little girl's vast imagination takes readers beyond the restraints of the world, into a extraordinary place where the flowers never die and where umbrellas conveniently pop out of the ground just as the spring rain begins. Kevin Henkes adds another feather to his brimming hat with this beautiful book. His spectacular, watercolor illustrations overflow the pages with creative page layout. Fanciful images appear as full bleeds and then he takes readers back to reality with smaller spot illustrations. His book spurs the imagination and presents endless possibilities as a read aloud.

My daughter considered what her own garden might contain and decided on toys, kittens, puppies, and balloons! She loved thinking outside the box!
(Review copy provided by publisher)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book to dream with, April 5, 2010

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Garden (Hardcover)

I love choosing books for storytime that encourage children to think and imagine, and this one does just that. It's very simple both in text and illustrations, and the best part about it is that it promotes interaction. The kids had a great time telling me what they would plant in their garden! It's a perfect spring time read and a good way to start talking about gardens and growing things.

I do want to include how much I have enjoyed all of this author's most recent books. They are perfect for group sharing and all foster the imagination - from Birds, to A Good Day, to Old Bear and now My Garden, the author has provided us with beautiful spare stories that really pack a wallop and are a joy to share with even the youngest children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How does your garden grow?, March 18, 2010

By 

Madigan McGillicuddy "Librarian" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Garden (Hardcover)

Henkes' newest offering is in the same style as Old Bear and A Good Day, which in turn seemed to build on the black and white style of his Caldecott-winning Kitten's First Full Moon. Lots of soft, sunny pastels of green, pink and purple, outlined in thick muted blue lines dominate this springtime story. After spending the day in the garden with her mother, a little girl begins to imagine a fantasy garden. In her ideal world, "flowers could change color just by thinking about it." She also dreams of tomatoes as big as beach balls and flowers which grow back the instant you pick them. This isn't explicitly an Easter story, but she does wish for chocolate rabbits (instead of the pesky nibblers of her real garden) and bushes of jellybeans. When the girl gets ready to go inside for the night, she acknowledges that her dream garden probably couldn't really exist, but she does go ahead and plant a seashell... just in case. The author's sly wink of an ending shows a cutaway view with the shell growing roots.
Henkes fans will not be disappointed with My Garden. This book is sure to be a staple in children's book collections for many years to come.