Mrs. Spitzer's Garden (Hardcover)

by Edith Pattou (Author), Tricia Tusa (Illustrator) "Inside Room 108 are six tables-four circles and two rectangles..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
At the end of each summer, the principal of Tremont Elementary School "walks down the hall to Mrs. Spitzer's room and gives her a packet of seeds." The cheerily appointed classroom (stocked with a gerbil, a rug with real hopscotch squares and a "dress-up corner") seems to augur a run-of-the-mill kindergarten tale, but Pattou (Hero's Song) soon launches her story into the realm of metaphor. Mrs. Spitzer's "seeds" are duly planted and tenderly nurtured, and while some "grow quickly, pushing upward, eager, impatient," others "grow more slowly, unfolding themselves bit by bit." As the seasons progress, the little plants grow sturdier, until finally the school year comes to a close and Mrs. Spitzer's job is done. Pattou relates her parable in straightforward yet gentle prose, leaving the whimsy to Tusa's (Maebelle's Suitcase) pen-and-watercolor illustrations. Giving the flowers eager little faces and different personalities, she amplifies the theme so that even youngest readers will understand the true identity of Mrs. Spitzer's "plants." Whether outlining the happy clutter of classroom and garden or the flowers themselves, Tusa's artwork is almost infectiously merry. Paying visual homage to typical kindergarten art, this sweet story will shore up beginning students' expectations of classroom life. Ages 3-7.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Mrs. Spitzer, a teacher, spends her days tending her flowers. Cheerful cartoon scenes follow her progress as the principal gives her a packet of seeds at the end of summer, and she takes up her garden tools to tend the soil, plant and water the seeds, fend off pests and weeds, and happily watch the progress of the sprouts. "Some of the plants grow quickly, pushing upward, eager, impatient.-Some are silvery and quiet, the color of the earth." Birds, bugs, and plants are personified with faces, hats, and kerchiefs. Congenial Mrs. Spitzer works energetically through the seasons-though there is no winter-and at the end of the year hangs her hat on her wheelbarrow and puts away her calendar and plan book to wait for the new school year. The closing view of the classroom includes children's artwork depicting the flowers, animals, and pumpkins. The garden is intended as a metaphor for the classroom; the carefully tended plants represent Mrs. Spitzer's students. It's hard to say who will recognize the analogy. Children of an age to identify with the kindergarten-style classroom are apt to see this literally as a garden story. Some will recognize that the seasonal scheme is backward. Some teachers may use the euphemistic scheme to introduce the idea of symbolism, but most kids this age prefer their lessons to be a bit more grounded in reality.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (May 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152019782
• ISBN-13: 978-0152019785
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers, you must start the year with this book!, August 14, 2001

By A Customer

What a joy to read! The illustrations are beautiful and add details to the reading. It's summertime and the principal gives Mrs. Spitzer some seeds to plant in her garden. She does all the right things and up come the sprouts. Plants and children--a wonderful analogy of what goes on in a classroom during the year. Teachers, you can't miss making the text-to-self connections. Kids love to hear this book too.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Plant Left Behind, November 12, 2005

By	Gwynne C. Spencer (Monmouth, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ms.Spitzer cultivates every manner of plant--the slow bloomer, the wild weed, the late sprouter--the way good teachers cultivate learners. Not with tests, not with homework, but with love and patience, care and certainty that effort will be rewarded. If you have a child in kindergarten, please please please buy this book and give it to the teacher as a gift for some holiday--along with a packet of your favorite seeds and a picture of your child. If you buy the book for yourself and lend it to ANY teacher, you're not likely to get it back. It's that good. I wish every principal in every school would read this out loud at the first faculty meeting of the year, too!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fable for every teacher, November 4, 2006

By	N. A. Sartori "lit_idealist" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This beautifully written tale describes every teacher's journey with his/her class through the school year. Yet, it is accessible to students as well. My students loved it as much as I did. However, I must issue this warning--reading this book aloud to your class may cause embarassment...you might cry in front of your students!