In My Garden [Hardcover]

Ward Schumaker (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

In this charming garden of numbers, readers will be delighted by dancing flowers and crabby apples while they learn to count from one watering can to ten snails, from twenty weepy onions to fifty cherry pies, to as many as two hundred and thirty three peas! Ward Schumaker's bright palette and whimsical illustrations make In My Garden the perfect book for budding counters and gardeners, alike.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whimsy and wonder abound in this horticultural counting book. Beginning readers (and counters--and gardeners!) can count from one grinning watering can to 233 plump little peas, with plenty of dancing flowers, buzzing bees, stones for stepping, and snails late for dinner in between. In the standard counting-book format, numbers one through ten are each given their own two-page spread. Numbers 20, 30, 40, and 50 follow, allowing children to stretch their minds to remember (or learn) what comes between, and the book concludes on a silly note, with number 233. The penultimate page shows every single one of the 233 peas numbered, so young readers can check their work!

Readers confronted with Ward Schumaker's clever, happy, full-page illustrations will feel an irresistible urge to kick up their heels and frolic through the garden of numbers. Witty little visual jokes, such as the six birds singing Bach and the 40 crab apples stomping their feet and grimacing at each other, will delight readers young and old. Who knew learning to count could be this much fun? Schumaker has charmed readers with several other picture books, including Sing a Song of Circus. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

In this playful enumeration of a garden patch, Schumaker (Sing a Song of Circus) produces another visually delicious work. Using his signature style of pure colors applied to delicate, swooping black outlines, he creates a series of full-bleed, double-page spreads that exude an engaging, off-kilter elegance. One stunner depicts nine doily-like butterflies as a bouquet of rose, peach and chestnut against a backdrop of mint and teal. The garden brims with vivid personalities as well: "four shady trees" sport sunglasses, seven bluebirds sing Bach and 40 red-and-green "crabby" apples are clearly spoiling for a fight. After counting from one gardening can to 10 snails "late for dinner" and on from 20 to 50 (in large, colorful numerals coupled with the name of each), Schumaker ends with the appealingly curious number of 233 peas. The following spread shows the watering can pointing out the peas, which are tagged from one to 233. This is one garden kids can count on. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1St Edition edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811826899
• ISBN-13: 978-0811826891
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Gardening

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book you can count on to make you giggle, April 27, 2000

By 

"queenbe33" - See all my reviews

This review is from: In My Garden (Hardcover)

You can't help but smile at the fanciful, capricious illustrations in this delightful counting book. The watering can is grinning the flowers are dancing the shade trees are wearing sunglasses and you definitely don't want to mess with those crabby apples. As soon as I read this book at the library, I immediately took it home to my daughter for a happy evening of counting and reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More books, please , Ward, October 18, 2000

By 

Elinoar Almagor (Belmont, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In My Garden (Hardcover)

Finally, I'm also looking forward to storytime. My 2 year old loves this book and so do I. The right combination of beautiful illustartions (you should have posters too) with a sense of humor, with counting. She points at the grapes, peas with glasses and recognizes "grandpa." We'll be waiting for your next book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful counting book!, October 6, 2008

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: In My Garden (Hardcover)

"In My Garden" is a whimsical counting book. The illustrations are humorous and will elicit plenty of giggles - common garden objects and plants are given human-like characteristics and make for fun reading and perusal. Besides teaching kids to count, the illustrations themselves make for interesting discussion 'Why are the onions crying mom:)' etc. The only reason I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars is because the numbers covered go from 1-10, then skip on to 20, 30, 40, 50. It would have been useful for younger readers, especially preschoolers, to have the numbers 11-19 represented as well. All in all, a humorous counting book!