Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado (Bilingual in English/Spanish) [Paperback]

Dawn Jeffers (Author), Claude Schneider (Illustrator), Eida de la Vega (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

An old-fashioned story of a mulit-generational friendship and the importance of sharing and nurturing dreams. When a young girl dreams of having a garden, her neighbor, a gardener in his younger days, helps her achieve her goal. he regains memories of his past gardens and both find that a garden is a place where more than begetables grow. Friendships can flourish. Full text presented in both English and Spanish. A keyword vocabulary page is available for jumpstarting learning in either language. This is a re-edit and new translation from the 2001 release ISBN 0970110758 MIPA award winning title. Also available in hardcover.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Erin dreams of having a vegetable garden but her parents don't think she is ready to take on such a responsibility. Luckily, Mr. Martinez, her elderly neighbor, has a lifetime of gardening experience and offers to share his plot with her. Together, they plan for, plant, and carefully tend the seedlings. As the vegetables grow, so does their friendship. What the story lacks in excitement or character development it makes up for in its portrayal of the slow and steady passing of the summer growing season. The impressionistic pastel illustrations suit the quiet mood perfectly, and the Spanish translation is adeptly done.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"The warm, impressionistic art brings to life a gentle story...A timeless tale about the virtues of sharing and friendship.." --Midwest Book Review

"...teaches children to cooperate and share with others..taking us back to where old-fashioned values are alive and well." --Herald-Star OH

"A dream fo having a garden becomes a reality. The family develps closer ties with the neighbor and each other." --Learning Abilities Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Raven Tree Press; Bilingual edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977090604
• ISBN-13: 978-0977090600
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,585,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Gardening

More About the Author

My first writing award was at the age of 7 with a statewide poetry contest. I won $50 which was BIG money at the time. My parents bought a savings bond with it and told me that was seed money for my future writing. The money went to help buy my first computer so I guess they were right.

I continue to write poetry, short stories and am currently working on a musical.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressively written and illustrated tale of a multi-generational friendship, July 13, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado (Bilingual in English/Spanish) (Paperback)

Featuring a bilingual text in both the English and the Spanish, Vegetable Dreams/Huerto Sonado by Dawn Jeffers features museum quality illustrations by Claude Schneider and is the story of a Erin, a young woman and her pursuit of a personal dream to grow and maintain a garden. Captivating young readers with an engaging and entertaining story line, Vegetable Dreams/Huerto Sonado follows Erin as she meets Mr. Martinez and their friendship which slowly progresses as the two of them care for her increasingly attractive and productive garden. A confidently recommended addition to school and community library bi-lingual picturebook collections, Vegetable Dreams/Huerto Soñado is an impressively written and illustrated tale of a multi-generational friendship, created and strengthened through the care and love for a simple vegetable garden.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tomatoes, peppers, dreams and recollections, mixed with soft illustrations, gives you a heartfelt read., June 7, 2006

By 

MuseItUp Publisher "Lea Schizas" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado (Bilingual in English/Spanish) (Paperback)

Tomatoes, peppers, dreams and recollections, mixed with soft illustrations, gives you a heartfelt read.

The truth of the matter is, within the very first paragraph, although quite simple, the pull to find out what was going to happen had already captured me:

"Erin jumped out of bed. She ran downstairs where her parents were eating breakfast. She couldn't wait to tell them about her garden dream."

Why was Erin so eager to describe this dream? Would this dream be achieved? How would her parents react? These and a few other questions popped in my head and I judged the author's capability to foresee questions she foreshadowed in her first paragraph and how they would come about in Vegetable Dreams. Dawn Jeffers did a superb job answering them and allowing me to reflect my own dreams and inspirations as Erin pursued her own.

The book breezes along at a quick pace, and the bilingual aspect is truly educational for all, with a vocabulary index at the back.

At times a book comes along with the notion it is only geared for children; yet in Vegetable Dreams, its message and inclusion of an adult man's own family reflections truly aim to please both, the young and old at heart. The artist, Claude Schneider, manages to bring the story to life using soft, chalk-like drawings, bringing Dawn Jeffers' treasure Vegetable Dreams close to a reader's heart.

I highly recommend this 32 page picture story book for all families to read and share.

5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed the story, May 4, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado (Bilingual in English/Spanish) (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Stephanie and Parish (age 3) Rollins for Reader Views (4/07)

"Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado" is written in both English and Spanish. In "Vegetable Dreams," Erin wants to raise a garden. Her mother and father tell her that it is too much work. Her neighbor decides, with the parents' permission, to help her raise a garden.

She picks out the seeds, plants them, and harvests the vegetables. Parish kept pointing to the tomato, but she thinks it is an apple. She keeps arguing with me about that.

The pictures are light and airy. Parish was drawn to the one with the little girl crying while sitting on a swing. She likes Erin 's long dress. We read this a week before planting our garden. This really got her excited about helping us plant the seeds.

The words are easy-to-read for beginning readers. "Vegetable Dreams/Huerto sonado" is a wonderful book for both English and Spanish-speaking children. I recommend it.

Reviewed by Susan Langford for Reader Views (5/06):

The author's main point of the book is about hard work and determination with an up lifting tale of dreams fulfilled. I think the Dawn Jeffers was very successful with this story. The story is well written and easy to read to children and easy for them to understand.

I read the story to my nieces that are 4, 3 and 3 and they really enjoyed it. They have a very close relationship with my father and he has a garden that they help him with so when I read about the tomatoes in the garden they associated very well and understood. My nieces and I enjoyed the story and it was easy to read, not too long and not too short. Great pictures for me, but I think that Sara, the four year old, would have liked for the pictures to be more like photographs. She thought a child had colored the pictures.

I think the book would be great for any office where families have to wait or in libraries, because both Hispanics and English speaking family can use it.

Book received free of charge