Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Who's in the Garden?
Illustrator: Jill McDonald
Board Novelty Book
For ages 3 to 6
Barefoot Books, 2010 ISBN: 978-1846864032
A garden has been planted, and flowers, fruits, and veggies are busily growing. Between the rows of cabbages, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes there is movement. Something is visiting the garden, and that that something turns out to be a little grey rabbit. Nearby, two other rabbits hop about.
The sprinkler has been turned on, and now another creature has come to the garden. Drawn by the water, two frogs hop cross the hose. Not far off, ripe strawberries are ready to be picked and a zucchini vine covered with big yellow blossoms is curling across the soil.
Beneath the soil, something is digging up and up until its head pops out into the sunlit world. It’s a mole, curious to see what is going on in the garden that is growing over its head.
Little children who love to explore pictures that are full of details are going to love this book. Brightly colored gardenscapes fill the pages, and everywhere there are creatures flying in the sky, sitting on the plants and in the trees, and even burrowing in the soil. Children will enjoy naming the animals and plants that they see in the artwork, and they will come to appreciate that gardens are busy places all day long.
Die cut windows on many of the pages allow children to peek at the scenes that are yet to come.
