Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
How Groundhog’s Garden Grew
Picture Book
For ages 3 to 7
Scholastic, 2003 ISBN: 978-0439323710
The Groundhog is a thief. He steals from the gardens of others to get his food. But soon Squirrel catches him in the act. "If you take food that belongs to others, you will not have a friend in the world!" she says. The embraced Groundhog is told that he should grow a garden of his own and Squirrel takes it upon herself to teach him how to go about doing this. The animals collect seeds to plant in the spring and then settle down for a long nap as winter approaches. Snug in warm beds in trees and underground they sleep while snow lies on the ground. Soon enough spring arrives and it is time to plant. As promised Squirrel shows Groundhog how to create a garden. He learns how to plant, how birds and insects pollinate the flowers of his plants, and how birds eat up the insects that may damage the tender shoots and flowers. With delight Groundhog soon finds himself the proud owner of a wonderful and fruitful garden. He and squirrel cook wonderful food and then everyone joins Groundhog for a big Thanksgiving dinner.
With her striking artwork, Lynne Cherry has once again produced a remarkable book. Her trademark border art offers the eye lots of beautifully drawn information and the easy pace of the story reflects the pace of the seasons. This book would be a wonderful tool in a classroom to help show the students where our food comes from and how much work goes into growing and harvesting it. Readers who have enjoyed this book would also enjoy Cherry's other books: "The Great Kapok Tree," "A River Ran Wild," "The Armadillo from Amarillo," "The Shaman?s Apprentice," and "Flute's Journey."
