Uno's Garden [Hardcover]

Graeme Base (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

Art + Arithmetic + Environmental Awareness=Graeme Base’s latest masterpiece

From the creator of the international best-sellers Animalia, The Water Hole, and Jungle Drums

Once again, beloved author Graeme Base introduces readers to a new world. And again, he interweaves the story with hidden images and mathematical problems (and solutions!), creating a book that can be read over and over, and at different levels for different ages.

When Uno arrives in the forest one beautiful day, there are many fascinating and extraordinary animals there to greet him—and one entirely unexceptional Snortlepig. Uno loves the forest so much, he decides to live there. But, in time, a little village grows up around his house. Then a town, then a city . . . and soon Uno realizes that the animals and plants have begun to disappear.

Uno’s Garden is a moving and timely tale about how we all unknowingly affect the environment around us, just by being there—and how we can always learn from our mistakes and find ways of doing things better. It's an illuminating blend of storybook, puzzle book, and math book.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–This timely book focuses on the importance of striking a balance between development and conservation of nature. When Uno moves to the forest, he is surrounded by 100 plants and a variety of imaginary animals, including the common Snortlepig. He plants a garden. As more and more people arrive and build houses, stores, and businesses, the plants and animals begin to disappear. Eventually, all that remain are buildings surrounded by gray skies, and the people abandon the city, leaving Uno, his little garden, and the Snortlepig. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren take care of the plot after Uno is gone and keep track of the creatures they see. Slowly the environment recovers. The Snortlepig, however, has disappeared. At first, the illustrations are colorful with fanciful animals and plants, but they become dark and grim as nature is crowded out. The earth rebounds, and so does the color. Students will enjoy searching the pictures, counting the plants and animals, and finding the elusive Snortlepig. This is an effective starting point for discussions about conservation, with some math lessons along the way.–Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Uno loves the forest and builds his home among colorful plants and the wondrous Moopaloops, Lumpybums, and Frinklepods. The beautiful setting soon draws other creatures, and the village grows into a bustling city. But as development continues, plant and animal life decrease, sending residents to greener pastures, leaving Uno and one Snortlepig tending the last little garden. Ultimately, Uno's descendants nurture the forest back into balance with human life. Base's imaginative, intricate pictures occupy most of each double-page spread; running across the top of the pages are brief text and math equations, accompanied by visual icons to help children keep track of the increase and decrease of the various creatures and buildings. Providing plenty of opportunity for seek-and-find fun, the vibrant art also visually reinforces the progressive change, and a double gatefold spread at the close dramatically shows the city and forest in balance. An appended note explains the numbers games. This is both a visual treasure trove and a cautionary yet hopeful tale of environmental awareness and responsibility. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810954737
• ISBN-13: 978-0810954731
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Graeme Base is one of the world's leading creators of picture books. His alphabet book, Animalia, received international acclaim when it was first published in 1986 and has sold more than two million copies. Graeme lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome and important addition, October 7, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uno's Garden (Hardcover)

Uno decides to live in the forest surrounded by lush plants and unique animals. But first a village, then a town, and finally a city supplant his garden, make the animals disappear, and crowd out the plants with buildings. Uno and the city residents finally realize the damage people can do to a natural environment simply by living in it -- and how important it is to the environment that people live in harmony with the plants and animals around them. Imaginatively written and superbly illustrated by Graeme Base, "Uno's Garden" presents to young readers the critically important story of what damage we can do to the land we live on, the animals we live with, and how nature can repair that damage if we help it and allow it through community-based approaches to conservation and environmental restoration. "Uno's Garden" is a welcome and important addition to family, school, and community library picturebook collections and Environmental Studies reference shelves for young readers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the right size for any kid!, January 3, 2007

By 

C. Davis Burdick (Kent, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uno's Garden (Hardcover)

When I look for children's books, I try to choose books that can be enjoyed on different levels as a child gets older, a book that can be shared by older and younger siblings or a book that has a worthy message. This one has it all: Its a picture book filled with lush (and humorous) images that invite stories to be created without relying on the words on the page. It is a story book about the need for balance in nature. It is a math book that goes from counting to addition and subtraction to multiplication. I gave it to my 2nd-grade-teacher husband and its one of the most popular books in his classroom.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, August 17, 2006

By 

proud mommy (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uno's Garden (Hardcover)

My 3 and hald year old loves this book! The ilustrations are wonderful. He adores all the weird-cool names for the different creatures. He loves looking for the Snortlepig. At this point some of the arthmetic is a bit above his head, but we use the book to reinforce his counting skills. As he grows older we can start getting into the progressions.