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8th out of 78 books
—
132 voters
My Garden
by
Kevin Henkes
The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden.
How does your garden grow?
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
February 23rd 2010
by Greenwillow Books
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Before you even begin reading this book, or this review, we wanted to point something out. This book doesn't rhyme. We know it's silly, it doesn't matter, blah blah blah. But to some it does. We will still read a book if it doesn't rhyme, but we can't lie. Every time Rachel starts to read a children's book out loud, she starts out reading it as if she's trying to find the cadence to the rhyme. And then it doesn't rhyme. And then Rachel and Layla share an awkward glance as if they are too embarra...more
“My Garden” is about a little girl who helps her mother take care of her garden. She imagines what it would be like to have her own garden and how much more beautiful hers would be compared to her mother’s. She pictures a magic garden where everything is perfect and she can grow whatever she wants, including, buttons, jelly beans, and seashells. She decides to plant a seashell in the garden before she goes to bed one night to see if a seashell tree will grow. The last illustration in the book is...more
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: A young girl gardens with her mother and dreams of her own fantastic garden where anything is possible.
A. Theme
B. This book had a strong positive theme of hope and believing in your dreams. In the story, the young girl dreams of a garden where impossible things happen, towards the end she admits that she knows none of these things could happen but still dreams of them. I think the author depicted the theme very well.
C. The young girl in the book lists many things that woul...more
Summary: A young girl gardens with her mother and dreams of her own fantastic garden where anything is possible.
A. Theme
B. This book had a strong positive theme of hope and believing in your dreams. In the story, the young girl dreams of a garden where impossible things happen, towards the end she admits that she knows none of these things could happen but still dreams of them. I think the author depicted the theme very well.
C. The young girl in the book lists many things that woul...more
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The young girl in this book loves to help in her mother’s garden by watering and weeding. She thinks her mother’s garden is very nice, but if she had a garden of her own it would be very different. The flowers would change colors and never stop blooming. The weeds would be nonexistent and the rabbits wouldn’t eat the lettuce because they would be chocolate rabbits! And the girl would be able to plant all sorts of things, like jelly beans and seashells, and they would grow. Although the girl know...more
A little girl helps her mother in her garden. It is a nice garden, but if the little girl could create her own garden, it would be very different! There would be no weeds. No plants would die. If you imagined the flowers different colors and patterns, they would change. Rabbits would not eat lettuce, instead they would be chocolate rabbits meant to be eaten. There would be lots of birds and butterflies, and unique things would suddenly grow. This beauty of a book will inspire children to dream t...more
3.5 - This is nothing like the description which is very bland. I'm surprised I already had this listed to-read and I must have found it elsewhere because there is no way I'd have added this - much less went and found it - on that description alone. (That description is also on the inside front flap of the book. You'd think someone could have come up with something a little more, well, uh, descriptive.)
An interesting little piece of info - there is a family by the name of Henkes in my developme...more
An interesting little piece of info - there is a family by the name of Henkes in my developme...more
Title:My Garden
Author:Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publishing Date:2010
ISBN Number:978-0-06-171518
Summary:Whimsical story about a little girl who loves being in her mom's garden. she has other ideas however on what she would want her garden to look like and what it would yield. She dreams of flowers that never die and jellybean bushes. The illustrations are vibrant and the prose is easy to follow and fun to read.
Age Level:2-6
Instructional Uses and Student A...more
A little girl helps her mother in the garden and imagines what her own garden would be like: her flowers could change color, grow back right after you picked them, have chocolate rabbits running through it, grow seashells, jellybean bushes, and more! Preschool- Grade1.
Curriculum Connection: This would be a wonderful book to do an art project with, letting students show their individuality, and creating a classroom garden with the pictures. It would be a terrific discussion starter on being uniqu...more
Curriculum Connection: This would be a wonderful book to do an art project with, letting students show their individuality, and creating a classroom garden with the pictures. It would be a terrific discussion starter on being uniqu...more
One of my favorite Henkes books, it is rich with bright lively illustrations as he tells the story of a little girl (from the perspective of a little girl) she who fantasizes and gushes about what her own garden would be like if she had one. This is prompted from her helping her mother in the garden. In this story, Henkes illuminates the beauty of imagination and wonder; the main character talks of "flowers that change color just by thinking" about it, the chocolate bunnies she would eat, the je...more
“My Garden” is about a little girl who helps her mother take care of her garden. She imagines what it would be like to have her own garden and how much more beautiful hers would be compared to her mother’s. She pictures a magic garden where everything is perfect and she can grow whatever she wants, including, buttons, jelly beans, and seashells. She decides to plant a seashell in the garden before she goes to bed one night to see if a seashell tree will grow. The last illustration in the book is...more
What would a story time about spring be without a book about gardening? This book, at first reading. became my favorite toddler book about gardens. The young girl who narrates the story helps her mother in the garden and then tells the reader about what a wondrous place HER garden would be with huge tomatoes and invisible carrots (because she doesn't like carrots!) flowers in all colors and patterns and whenever you pick a flower another grows back in its place. There are chocolate bunnies and s...more
Apr 14, 2011
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
encouraging imaginative kids to express themselves; garden lovers
Recommended to Lisa by:
Kathryn
Chocolate rabbits and strawberry lanterns, and flowers that change their colors and have patterns? Sign me up! No carrots and things such as buttons and umbrellas? No thank you. But, that’s what makes this book such fun. Every reader/listener is encouraged to think about what their ideal garden might contain.
A lot of imagination, some humor and some whimsy, and a lot f fun.
I’m not sure I was wild about the illustrations, especially given what they could be given that the story is about gardens,...more
A lot of imagination, some humor and some whimsy, and a lot f fun.
I’m not sure I was wild about the illustrations, especially given what they could be given that the story is about gardens,...more
4 likes · like · see review
After reading the description, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this but I ended up loving it! It's surprisingly cute.
While helping her mother in the garden, a little girl daydreams about what her garden would look like if she had one. Tomatoes as big as beach balls, chocolate rabbits instead of real ones, flowers that can change colour just by thinking about it and when you pick a flower, a new one pops up!
I especially enjoyed the jelly bean bush and the strawberries that glow like lantern...more
While helping her mother in the garden, a little girl daydreams about what her garden would look like if she had one. Tomatoes as big as beach balls, chocolate rabbits instead of real ones, flowers that can change colour just by thinking about it and when you pick a flower, a new one pops up!
I especially enjoyed the jelly bean bush and the strawberries that glow like lantern...more
The lovely, brightly colored pastels used by Kevin Henkes in this book are truly a thing of beauty. The style of illustration used in My Garden is my favorite among the diverse styles that he employs. No other author is better at taking a simple scene, such as the wished-for perfect garden of the small girl in this book, and creating around it a real sense of the wonder and awe of life from the perspective of a child.
There is a lot of good in this spritely, memorable picture book, and it cert...more
There is a lot of good in this spritely, memorable picture book, and it cert...more
I love Kevin Henkes' body of work: his novels like Sun & Stone and Olive's Ocean; Lilly and her purple purse; Wemberly; Owen; and the more recent triumphs such as Kitten's First Full Moon, Old Bear, and Birds. My Garden continues the beautiful palate and drawing style of Old Bear and A Good Day, but the story stumbles. What should be an exploration of a girl daydreaming about how her garden grows (with patterned sunflowers, chocolate bunnies, and seashells) comes across as selfish. The text...more
Mar 29, 2012
Sheeba Virani
added it
This book is a versatile book and can be used in the classroom to reinforce many concepts like gardening, health, imagination etc. The little girl enjoys her time with her mother gardening and gets carried away in her beautiful thoughts. This book makes children realize that dreaming is good for their imagination and it is alright to think about unreal things too.
Extension
Once you have read the book to children take the entire group for a nature walk in a garden. Give them each a basket and enco...more
Extension
Once you have read the book to children take the entire group for a nature walk in a garden. Give them each a basket and enco...more
What: This book is about a little girl who loves helping in her mother's garden. She has her own idea of how she would want her garden to looks. She has ideas such as morning glories staying in bloom all night and strawberries glowing like lanterns. She also had an idea for the pesky rabbits who eat the lettuce. They would be made of chocolate and she would eat them.
So What: This book is good to discuss Science. The main topics could be gardens, plants, and how they grow.
Now What: The class cou...more
So What: This book is good to discuss Science. The main topics could be gardens, plants, and how they grow.
Now What: The class cou...more
Review: With the enjoyment of having my own garden, I know there are kids out there that want their own when they "grow up" someday. With the movement of technology today, kids don't recognize things such as gardening as "fun" in their everyday life. Sorry to say, but video games beats out physical work any day. But all in all, this cute story is a real catch for any young reader.
Summary: This girl helps her mom in their garden, but then decides what kind of garden she would rather have; she wou...more
Summary: This girl helps her mom in their garden, but then decides what kind of garden she would rather have; she wou...more
I loved this book! The illustrations were so sweet and I loved how bright the garden was, without feeling overwhelming or tacky. The little girl's garden was magical and whimsical, I loved her imagination and design. The story was sweet and simple and the ending left you feeling satisfied and happy. The moment I was done with this book I had a big smile across my face and I wanted to find someone to share it with. I'd definitely recommend it - it's one of my new favorites!
*Taken from my book rev...more
*Taken from my book rev...more
Adorable. The illustrations didn't speak to me like Kitten's First Full Moon but the text was extremely captivating.
Favorite Quotes:
In my garden, the rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them.
The tomatoes would be as big as beach balls, and the carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots.
At night, the morning glories would stay open, shining like stars, and the strawberries would glow like lanterns.
Favorite Quotes:
In my garden, the rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them.
The tomatoes would be as big as beach balls, and the carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots.
At night, the morning glories would stay open, shining like stars, and the strawberries would glow like lanterns.
A touch of whimsy in the garden. I wonder if Kevin Henkes has a garden similar to mine? I've planted pinwheels and umbrellas, added "chocolate" bunnies at Easter and well-dressed librarian-scarecrows in the summer... I plant oddly-colored and unusual plants out front, let pole beans (scarlet emperors) climb up the post to my mailbox. Out back is a bathtub overflowing with white petunias (and a mannequin reading a book while she soaks beneath them...). Jack-be-little pumpkins be-deck my lilacs an...more
This is a cute story in which a little girl imagines what her garden would be like. Most of the things in her garden are beautifully imaginative like glowing morning glories at night and invisible carrots because she doesn't like them. It's cute and funny and could definitely start a conversation with the child or children sharing this book. Unlike many of Henkes's picture books this one might be a little too long for the youngest toddlers at story time, but could still be a nice addition to a g...more
I didn't know anything about the book and was surprised to discover it is not so much about actual gardening (though there is a real garden the mom and daughter plant) as imaginative gardening as the little girl dreams of having a garden with no weeds or dead plants, and wants to plant seashells (to grow seashells, of course!) and jellybeans to grow candy plants. And there would be no carrots, because she does not like them ;-) Overall, I appreciated the imaginative approach, though I do love re...more
5 likes · like · see review
This is a delightful book to welcome spring with young children. A young girl helps her mother in their garden, but instead of carrots, she plants jellybeans, imagines flowers that can change color and pattern, that grow back right after one is picked, and bunnies that are chocolate instead of lettuce-eaters. The illustrations fill the page with Henkes’ bold outlined illustrations. It’s such a happy book to see, and will be fun to read with a young child to see what else can be imagined!
Love Kevin Henkes, for both his writing and illustration. This would make a great gift book.
My favorite quotes are the same as Tamara's:
In my garden, the rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them.
The tomatoes would be as big as beach balls, and the carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots.
At night, the morning glories would stay open, shining like stars, and the strawberries would glow like lanterns.
My favorite quotes are the same as Tamara's:
In my garden, the rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them.
The tomatoes would be as big as beach balls, and the carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots.
At night, the morning glories would stay open, shining like stars, and the strawberries would glow like lanterns.
For those of us in the mid-Atlantic, it’s been a rough winter, but just reading this book warms me up! Henkes’ little girl is her mother’s helper in the garden, but she fantasizes about her own garden, with ever-blooming flowers, chocolate rabbits, jelly bean bushes, hundreds of birds and butterflies, and tomatoes as big as beach balls. Henkes’ bright watercolors make the garden a fantastical place, and his little girl reminds us of life’s possibilities.
I rated the book, My Garden very high because it is engaging and the pictures are very intriguing. The reader is captivated by the words and illustrations. The reader can learn more about how to plant gardens by reading this book. The book includes rich and meaningful text that allow the students to learn through experiencing the book. After reading the book, the reader would understand how to plant a garden. I thought the book would be a great teaching book.
In this whimsical story a young girl’s imaginary garden comes to life on the pages. It’s a place where seashells grow and chocolate bunnies abound, where flowers come in all shapes and colors, even patterns. Preschooler, who insists on planting rocks in our front yard so that she can grow more rocks, wants to hear this repeatedly. And the illustrations? GORGEOUS. Beautiful pastel colors that I wish would leap out of the page and into my own garden attempts.
Told from the perspective of a young girl, My Garden is about the changes she would make to her mother’s garden if it was hers. The girl’s ideas for the garden are very imaginative and invite discussion about what readers would want if they could have any sort of garden they desired. The final illustration suggests that maybe the girl’s ideas are not as preposterous as they may seem. It is not a complex book or story but may be of interest to young readers.
Imagination as well as flowers bloom in this book. A young girl, after working in her mother's garden, imagines what her own garden would be like: flowers would change colors, seashells would grow on stems, and carrots would be invisible, because "I don't like carrots." Henkes' artwork is bright and bubbly, often busy pastels that might overwhelm without the blissfully white and simple text pages facing each illustration.
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Kevin Henkes became an author/illustrator when he was nineteen years old, working on a card table in his bedroom.
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.
More about Kevin Henkes...
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.
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