This Is Your Garden [Paperback]

Maggie Smith (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2001 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this gentle picture book, a young girl begins her garden with a bit of earth, good tools, and seeds. Then she weeds and waters and waits. As the seedlings grow and then bud and blossom, Maggie Smith's illustrations grow as well. The first pictures are open and spare, but they grow richer and more colorful as petunias and poppies and zinnias burst forth with each turn of a page. A celebration of a gardener's nuturing spirit, this winning book is filled with wise advice for cultivators of both actual and metaphorical gardens.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2ABrightly colored flowers and a cheerful, round-faced girl invite children to grow a flower garden from seed. Written in the second person, the text describes in general terms the materials, equipment, and procedures needed. Readers are left with the impression that they can grow their own garden, all by themselves; if they are patient, caring, and hopeful, their flowers will be beautiful. "As the little plants grow, some will be straight and some will be wobbly. Some might be thirstier than others. But they will all need you. This is your garden." It's a fine attitude for gardeners, but if beginners don't temper it with some precise and sometimes hard facts, they are likely to come away with some overgrown expectations. There are so many accurate, clear, and inspiring gardening books for children and adults to use together that this one is unnecessary.ACarolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-6. In this gardening primer for very young children, a narrator gently guides a child through the process of planting a garden, from the tools and seeds to the key ingredients, tender loving care and a lot of patience. The energetic, barefoot child delights in thinning the plants, gathering ideas from other gardens, and even enjoying a book while the rain pours down, knowing that the "garden is getting a good soaking." The watercolor-and-charcoal illustrations are simple, but they still manage to celebrate the glory of this little garden as it grows and grows with each turn of the page. Although there are plenty of books on gardening for children, this one is particularly geared to a very young audience, and its sweet charm and nurturing tone will make it a welcome addition to any gardening collection. Helen Rosenberg --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dragonfly Books (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440417368
• ISBN-13: 978-0440417361
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real gem, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: This is Your Garden (Hardcover)

This book is small wonder. It's a little about gardening and a lot about life. About the value of patience and persistence and working at cultivating your surroundings. I've given it to children, but also to adult friends who needed a lift--works every time!

5.0 out of 5 stars <3, August 30, 2011

By 

K. A. Cook "Who am I" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: This Is Your Garden (Paperback)

Bought it for my daughter, honestly because I am a gardener so I thought it might be fun to share one of my loves with her. She does so I'm good. It's adorable and she loves it, at least she did when she was four, she's a bit old for it now, but it lasted for years. Wonderful story.