A Garden Plot of Picture Books...

As there's nothing quite like the contentment that comes from working a "bit of earth" (as Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary from The Secret Garden calls it), I'm sharing six books this month about the pleasure of gardening. I think we could all use an escape from cabin fever about now...

1) Joshua Little and the Leaves,
Written by Andrea Cluff, 
Illustrated by Evgeniya Pautova

When I set this book--atop a stack of others--on my youngest daughter's bed, she jumped up (no exaggeration), and said, "OOOOH! I love that book! It's so funny! Can we read it right now?!"


Wow! Impressive that one "little" story made such an indelible mark on my child's book-loving soul. 

​​So we did read it. And she was right. It's charming! Yes, I know it's not the right season to share a book about leaves falling when the buds are just starting to push up. But the whole point of Joshua Little and the Leaves, is that change can be enjoyed--through every season of life. Even when at first we don't understand, or even like it! 
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And so fitting a story for little people who don't quite understand why life is changing as it has, from whatever this crazy virus has thrown at them. This book can be a great segue into a conversation about how life alters--when we least expect it. But there are some things we can do to prepare, or to cope. Like play with those we love. (As depicted by Joshua and his mama below...)

​​Beyond all the serious talk, this book is simple, but graceful. The flow of the text's rhythm and fresh, computer-generated illustrations remind me of Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline...but with a cool 2.0 retro nod.

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The illustrations are not overworked. Evgeniya Pautova, how did you make such a lovable little mop-of-a-Scottie dog with so few strokes? And Andrea Cluff, thanks for making the world a better place with one sweet "Little" story. 

Readers, check back in one week, on Friday May 8th, to enjoy a mini-interview with author
Andrea Cluff as she answers questions about the inspiration behind her book and the road to self-publishing Joshua Little and the Leaves!

2)Anna's Garden Songs,
Poems by Mary Q. Steele,
Illustrations by Lena Anderson

So I happily stumbled upon this golden treasure at our local GoodWill last summer. Where has this book been all of my life?!! It was published forever ago, apparently! How is it not more widely printed? Painted by the same illustrator as Linnea in Monet's Garden, these watercolors are magic.

​If you have a green thumb, these illustrations--paired with cleverly-silly poems--are a dream for every vegetable-pushing parent. See for yourself...
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​"Peas you sow in early May
Will clamber up a curly way
And bloom for you some pearly day
When rain comes down a swirly way.

And when the sun comes out to shine
Pods will grow about the vine
And fatten up--all stout and fine.

Then what delicious peas there'll be
For you to eat--and me! and me!"


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That poem is almost as sweet as a crunchy June pea right off a June vine. Now if only our chickens didn't eat all of ours! Argh! Not so much free-ranging this summer, I'm thinking...(The garden-ravaging stinkers!)

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​Unfortunately, my kids will completely empathize with this cheeky rhyme:
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"I do not think I'll eat 
This beet.
Too much of it is red,
Too much of it is head.
I do not think I'll eat 
This beet."

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​Two of my kids chose potatoes for their "vegetable-to-plant-and-weed" last summer. Not so much happened on the weeding end. But the kids sure went wild when it was time to dig for buried treasure! The happy painting above by Ms. Anderson exactly depict that satisfaction of digging up these "apples of the earth" (as the French call them).
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One child was excited for the harvest, the other thought it was work--until he hit gold, rather fuchsia--himself!

A few last illustrations from Anna's Garden Songs so you can see how delightful this book truly is...

​"We grew so many onions
That we couldn't eat them all.
I'll braid the leaves together
And hang them on the wall.

They make a pretty ornament,
With skins of golden brown,
A cheerful thing in winter
When snow is coming down.

Mother will cut them, two by two.
We'll eat them, one by one.
And every bite will taste as sweet
As summer's shining sun."
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Don't you love this book?! Just a visually-nourishing treat. That's veggies for you! (My kids would gag at my sentiment towards greens. Oh well, they won't be gagging when they're the mothers and fathers trying to keep everyone healthy! :)

Scrumptiously happy?  Don't you think?

​3) Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel, 
​Written by Leslie Connor,
Illustrated by Mary Azarian

This book. Is one of the best. I mean, if I had to choose maybe ten picture books in our entire collection to keep (and we have an embarrassingly obscene number--collecting them as an artist, illustrator, and mother for almost two decades), this would be one of them. And once again, it's not just that the incredible Mary Azarian painted her stunning woodcuts to illuminate the story either.

It's the power of this book's message--of hard work and determination that reminds us to continue on. To pick one self up and move forward with practicality. Right on the opening page, it begins: 

My eight year-old chose this book for us to read the other day while we were doing her hair. "There's the shovel hanging out in the barn!" She pointed out. For some reason, my blind self had never noticed it there before (seen through the window above). Kids notice everything!

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​I won't spell out the whole plot for you (hopefully you already know it!), but let's just say the shovel serves our heroine in every stage of life--from clearing a path for iceskating to meet her husband in Central Park, to aiding her husband in digging out the doctor's wagon when it's stuck in mud as Ms. Bridie's laboring to bring her babies into this world.

Through disaster and the necessities of life, the shovel is a tool for Miss Bridie to make life meaningful. A symbol of what life is--hours of toil to teach us what can be accomplished when we put our efforts behind an uplifting idea. 

Click on this Goodreads review link for a clearer synopsis.

4a) Jodie's Beans
Written by Malachy Doyle, 
Illustrated by Judith Allibone

and...

4b) Vera's Baby Sister,
Written and Illustrated
by Vera Rosenberry

​I can't tell you how many bean pole teepees these two books have sparked in our family's gardens over the years. In fact, because there are two inspiring "bean pole teepee books," this is your lucky two-fer for the day. Not a nasty go-pher in your garden, but a bright two-fer for your home library! Yay!


If you love gardening and have young children (especially ones with baby siblings, or who are expecting an infant sibling soon), I would just go ahead and order these books used online. Sight unseen. They're worth it. Just enchanting! 

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My favorite part of late summer and early fall is harvesting handfuls of these scarlet runner beans every few days to steam up with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt for dinner.
Soooo delicious--waxy beans are! (Even Yoda thinks so!)

Our slightly lopsided (why are they always leaning?) beanpole teepee one misty
​summer morning in Maine...JOY!

5) A Child's Calendar,
Poems by John Updike,
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

​You probably know this oldie-but-goodie well. But as it gets so much mileage at our house, I thought I'd remind you all to pull your own copy out about now. Even if you don't have kids at home anymore...


Someone usually unearths this beautiful book around our place at least quarterly to read aloud the poem that corresponds with the current month. And spring just feels right to celebrate all that this book gives.
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​​Lately, with homeschooling going on, I'm bribing (I mean urging--of course!) the kids to memorize a poem in 24 hours to pass off with a dinnertime recitation for the rest of us to enjoy--rewarded by a bowl of ice cream, for just that person. We just ran out of ice cream--we had a few takers. I love it!

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​And did I mention yet how GORGEOUS I still find this book, with each perusal? The late Trina Schart Hyman was a master of capturing life and movement, and the feeling of a place and time. 

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How I wish I had been bold enough, when she was still alive, to call her up and ask her how she sketched the human form "just so"--to make us feel a certain way when we'd see her illustrations. Many of the figures in her books were drawn using her daughter, Katrin, as a model.

At the time Trina was in full-swing with her illustration career, she often included depictions of black children (based-off her grandson) when there wasn't much diversity in the children's book market at all (check out the cherubic sledders and leaf-jumpers on the cover of this book, as well as the cute solemn brothers below--using her grandson as a model).

So much wonder in Hyman's pictures--aglow with the ordinary brilliance of life. Look at the mushroom ornaments on the tree. The sleeping dog. The toddler's leg poking through the bars of the chair. She was a genius! And John Updike's poetry isn't too shabby either...

6) The Gardener,
Written by Sarah Stewart,
Illustrated by David Small

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​So many people revere this book with a soft spot in their hearts, that it's almost ridiculous of me to include its title here in this review. All of you already know about it. But let's be realistic. What good is a list of children's picture books about gardening without including Sarah Stewart and David Small's Caldecott Medalist, The Gardener as its culmination? 


Nadissimo!

So, I'll just tell you why I hold this book dear. It:
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-recounts the pain of homesickness.
-paints an accurate picture of tight financial times with their uncomfortable, but educational, ripple effects.
-effuses emotion in the simple expressions on the characters' faces.
-uses excellent perspective in the buildings, structures, and locomotives. So savvy, David Small!
-makes us laugh with every reading of Lydia Grace saying, "I haven't forgotten what you said about recognizing Uncle Jim: 'Just look for Mama's face with a big nose and a mustache.'"
-gives us a cozy feeling while we peer into the behind-the-scenes illustrations of the bakery with Emma Beech teaching Lydia Grace to knead bread dough, in exchange for learning the Latin names of flowers.
-thrills our hearts at seeing the barren roof top transform to a garden of Eden, as well as witnessing Uncle Jim's stern countenance soften as he grows to love his little niece and give her a gentle clinging hug at the end of the book.

Why do you love The Gardener? And what "gardening in children's books" titles do you have to recommend to the rest of us? If you've slogged down this far in the review, PLEASE, share with us your favorite recommendations in the comments below...

Once upon a time...fairies danced upon the garden paths of local libraries. 
Let's take heart--this will happen again someday soon!

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​Happy planting from your bookworm buddy! And take care of yourselves with some good books. Sincerely,
​Emily