Up, Down, and Around [Paperback]

Katherine Ayres (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 26, 2008 | Age Range: 2 - 5 years

"An inviting introduction to the wonder of plants, food, and gardening. . . . Will be a favorite of teachers, students, and home readers alike." — KIRKUS REVIEWS

From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life —- in all directions! Sprightly illustrations set the mood for a rhythmic text that follows nature’s course to a feast of backyard bounty.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–This cheerful story is a pleasant introduction to planting and prepositions. When two children help plant a garden, they learn that some vegetables grow underground, some shoot up above it, and some grow on vines that twine around and around. And they all end up as lunch. The rhyming text is simple, but the words are well chosen. The colorful cartoon illustrations are humorous and lively, with lots of motion to keep readers turning the pages. Children will enjoy finding various insects on each page and talking about the roles they play in a garden. A good choice for introducing how things grow.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Setting aside the notion of gardens as places of tranquility, this picture book depicts a bustling kitchen garden. Two children help a man with planting, watering, and harvesting vegetables, while a dog, a cat, and a rabbit observe the fun. All around them, snails, caterpillars, birds, bugs, and worms creep, crawl, fly, climb, dig, and generally cavort about this flourishing garden. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer plenty of details for children to explore. Cutaway views show small critters nestled in their underground homes between root vegetables. As noted in the title, a repeated theme in the rhymed couplets is the direction plants grow: "Broccoli grows up. / Beets grow down. / Green beans climb / around and around." The short verses create a quick pace and an upbeat tempo throughout. Pair this with Janet Stevens' Tops and Bottoms (1995) for a lively story hour or classroom unit on gardens. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 - 5 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763640174
• ISBN-13: 978-0763640170
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 0.2 x 10.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Vegetable awareness, organic gardening, vegetarian fun! June 4, 2007

By Book Lovin' Mom

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is great in so many ways. My 15 mo. old loves it because it has a fun rhythm to it and because he hunts for little things on each page (the kitty, the dog, the butterflies, the vegetables). I like it because it shows kids how plants grow "Corn grows up. Carrots grow down. Cucumbers climb around and around. Peppers grow up. Potatoes grow down. Pumpkins vine around and around...." I also like that the children are gardening with their dad, and that this is (apparently) an organic garden...happy bugs, butterflies, worms, and birds are shown ALL over the plants (in a cute way, and a real way...not a gross way). At the end the family harvests their veggies and creates a veggie stew. Fabulous, positive book...makes natural gardening look fun, and kids learn about plants, too!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! May 16, 2007

By L. Horning

Format:Hardcover

My children(ages 3&4) love this book! We read it before we planted our garden this year and they got much more involved and can't wait to try their vegetables! Vivid colors and simple words make this book enjoyable and easy to understand.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My baby LOVES this! September 5, 2008

By Melissa Mullan

Format:Paperback

My son is addicted to this book. He received it from his daycare mom at Christmastime when he was 4 months old. Needless to say as soon as he could crawl he would go over to this book--only this book (he has a HUGE library) and flip through the pages. He is happy to have Daddy or Mommy read it to him or just to look at the book himself. Now 9 months later I have to buy him a new copy due to wear and tear!

5.0 out of 5 stars loves it May 23, 2013

By Helle Bjerregaard

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The children loves the paintings and the colours of this book, a very good set-up, even though they are english beginners

3.0 out of 5 stars Great explanation of what goes on in a garden April 12, 2013

By Belinda Williams

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this for my 5 year old grand daughter. She loves to help me do container gardens. Very easy to relate gardening to her

4.0 out of 5 stars building a love for gardening September 20, 2012

By Cari Henson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great book for small children and parents who would like to build a love for gardening. The book and illustrations are fun, whimsical, and offer you and your child a lot to observe and talk about.

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like I expected December 8, 2010

By K. Hubbel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The books arrived in time, in good shape and I am so excited to give them to my cousins for Christmas.

5.0 out of 5 stars Granddaughter's Favourite Book October 15, 2010

By N. Nelson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

My two-year old granddaughter loves this book. Not so much for the prose but for the illustrations which allow us to point to so many things -- the little girl who looks like her, the little boy who is like her friend, the dog who is like her puppy, the bunny, the daddy, the scarecrow, bare feet, the many kinds of bugs,etc. It takes us a long time to get through the "bug" book but she happily remains still throughout and it is the one she wants read to her at each story time. I hope that the author and the illustrator collaborate again in the future on more children's books.