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Little Critter
A Green, Green Garden
Join Mercer Mayer’s classic and beloved character, Little Critter ® as he goes green in this My First I Can Read book! Little Critter learns that planting his own garden is a lot of fun and a lot of work. But the result—a green, green garden—is something he can cherish and enjoy. Little A Green, Green Garden is a My First I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for shared reading with a child. Books at this level feature basic language, word repetition, and whimsical illustrations, ideal for sharing with emergent readers. The active, engaging stories have appealing plots and lovable characters, encouraging children to continue their reading journey.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
14 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Mercer Mayer
776 books791 followersMercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 23, 2017
My nephew chose it. It's really not a fun book. The only redeeming quality is the mouse and spider that can be found on every page spread (sort of like Lowly Worm in Richard Scarry's books, but less cool because they don't have their own cars).
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October 17, 2022Read to me. The letter A can make so many sounds!
May 10, 2011
I am a big fan of Mercer Mayer's books, especially his collection of Little Critter books. I think that we own a majority of them that have ever been printed. These books are great to read to children because the stories are concise and filled with humor. The illustrations are amazing and again are filled with humor, some of which is lost on the children, but makes the stories even more entertaining for the adults. This book was in the I Can Read Series, so it was even shorter than his usual books. The topic was great and would be appropriate to include in the classroom to cover the areas of literacy and science. My son really enjoyed this book and we were surprised to find one at the library that we didnt' already have!
April 29, 2020
This book is a very easy read. I do like its concept of gardening and I feel it does give some easily stated information for children to associate with gardening, but both in positive and negative aspects. I would prefer a strictly positive book on going green. My biggest compliment of this book is its illustrations. It offers a lot for the children to observe and use to make predictions and conclusions with the text.
April 20, 2017
Enjoyed by my 3 year old as she has been helping a lot with our large backyard garden and the idea of "weed, water, wait" as the 3 necessary steps of gardening seemed to really capture her imagination. I could take or leave the "Little Critter" series as a whole, but this is a inoffensive, if a bit bland, into into gardening for the 3-4 year-old set.
February 15, 2021
LC helps his family plant and tend a garden. I was surprised by how different he is in these modern books. Less mischievous and more educational.
Doesn't have the same inferring traits as the original series, but could be used in a lesson about gardens. It does really show how much work goes into a garden.
Doesn't have the same inferring traits as the original series, but could be used in a lesson about gardens. It does really show how much work goes into a garden.
May 19, 2017
I like Mercer Mayer .
May 25, 2017
Read to Jack and Julia.
August 22, 2017
They like little critters books.
July 18, 2018
from Alli
Gardening is good. It helps you work out and gives you fresh vegetables and helps you get healthy.
Gardening is good. It helps you work out and gives you fresh vegetables and helps you get healthy.
August 23, 2018
Super well done for an early reader
March 25, 2019
This is an easy reader, but I think it would still be good for a storytime if/when the kiddos seem to have a slightly longer attention span! :)
October 23, 2019
Darling little early reader. The illustrations will make both parents and children laugh. Short enough to be shareable for storytimes.
March 25, 2020
This book was an excellent way to engage youngsters in the art of gardening, worms included :-)
January 23, 2022
Little Critter learns about gardening with his family. Cute and a good introduction to gardening for little kids, but nothing special.
January 25, 2022
Super cute book
May 2, 2023
2023 Storytime Theme: PreK Planters - GREEN
Reviewed from a library copy.
July 9, 2023
I liked the dinner and all the food they had
July 10, 2023
They had a good good dinner
September 26, 2023
12 month old picked this out at Costco. Cute
April 17, 2024
I feel like one shouldn’t buy bugs and release them.
October 7, 2024
I enjoyed the gardening parts of the story, but the main little boy character was really mean and constantly displayed poor behavior. I’m not sure why the book was promoting the boy’s behaviors.
April 28, 2025
Great for taking my preschoolers through the steps of gardening.
December 19, 2016
Little Critter, about whom Mercer Mayer has been writing stories since 1975, goes green in this 2011 addition to the I Can Read! series. Ready to plant his garden, he heads to the local garden store, where he and his parents purchase seeds and baby plants and rent a plow. At home, Little Critter and his sister find out that gardening is hard work, but that having patience and caring for the garden ultimately yield a wonderful result.
It's become somewhat trendy in recent years to include a title about going green in every popular children's series. We've had them from Arthur, Gilbert, Sesame Street, The Boxcar Children, and Sid the Science Kid. During the past five years, Fancy Nancy, Dora the Explorer, Robin Hill School, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, Just Grace, Spongebob Squarepants, Mallory McDonald, and Rainbow Magic have also published titles in the genre Novelist K-8 and other sources now identify as "eco-fiction." (I tried to find out the original source of this term, but only made it back as far as this book.)
Certainly, it makes sense that every popular series would want to involve its characters in as many holidays and childhood experiences as possible, but the key to making that work, in my opinion, is to write a book that really stands out and does something different than what other books have done. And though this story has a lot of those time-tested and truly loved qualities that have come to be associated with Little Critter in the last 35 years, the content of the story doesn't really introduce anything new.
That's not to say this book isn't well done. I read through it several times before sitting down to write this review, and each time, I was impressed by something new. Since this book is at the "My First" level of the I Can Read ladder, and is intended for an adult to share with a child who is starting to learn to read, there is a lot happening in the illustrations that really supplements the text, which helps new readers contextualize new words, but also enhances the story for kids not yet reading on their own.
One really wonderful thing about the illustrations in this book is the fact that almost all of them include print in some way. Having signs, labels, and notes visible in each illustration helps promote print awareness and encourages new readers to realize there are words everywhere, and that learning to read them is an exciting and important process.
I also like the way Little Critter's personality - filled with mischief, impatience, and the occasional bout of frustration or anger - comes across through his facial expressions and interactions with members of his family. Fans of Little Critter's other books will recognize these qualities and they will enjoy the story more because of them.
Another strength of this book is the way it introduces new garden-related concepts, such as the "weed, water, and wait" process of growing the plants, the compost heap for making "good garden dirt," and buying "good bugs that eat bad bugs." I also enjoyed seeing the family dog try to protect the garden from hungry, unsuspecting deer.
Overall, while I found it difficult to connect with this book, I can understand its merits and its potential appeal to its intended audience. I only wish the story had included a fresher approach to the oft-used subject matter.
It's become somewhat trendy in recent years to include a title about going green in every popular children's series. We've had them from Arthur, Gilbert, Sesame Street, The Boxcar Children, and Sid the Science Kid. During the past five years, Fancy Nancy, Dora the Explorer, Robin Hill School, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, Just Grace, Spongebob Squarepants, Mallory McDonald, and Rainbow Magic have also published titles in the genre Novelist K-8 and other sources now identify as "eco-fiction." (I tried to find out the original source of this term, but only made it back as far as this book.)
Certainly, it makes sense that every popular series would want to involve its characters in as many holidays and childhood experiences as possible, but the key to making that work, in my opinion, is to write a book that really stands out and does something different than what other books have done. And though this story has a lot of those time-tested and truly loved qualities that have come to be associated with Little Critter in the last 35 years, the content of the story doesn't really introduce anything new.
That's not to say this book isn't well done. I read through it several times before sitting down to write this review, and each time, I was impressed by something new. Since this book is at the "My First" level of the I Can Read ladder, and is intended for an adult to share with a child who is starting to learn to read, there is a lot happening in the illustrations that really supplements the text, which helps new readers contextualize new words, but also enhances the story for kids not yet reading on their own.
One really wonderful thing about the illustrations in this book is the fact that almost all of them include print in some way. Having signs, labels, and notes visible in each illustration helps promote print awareness and encourages new readers to realize there are words everywhere, and that learning to read them is an exciting and important process.
I also like the way Little Critter's personality - filled with mischief, impatience, and the occasional bout of frustration or anger - comes across through his facial expressions and interactions with members of his family. Fans of Little Critter's other books will recognize these qualities and they will enjoy the story more because of them.
Another strength of this book is the way it introduces new garden-related concepts, such as the "weed, water, and wait" process of growing the plants, the compost heap for making "good garden dirt," and buying "good bugs that eat bad bugs." I also enjoyed seeing the family dog try to protect the garden from hungry, unsuspecting deer.
Overall, while I found it difficult to connect with this book, I can understand its merits and its potential appeal to its intended audience. I only wish the story had included a fresher approach to the oft-used subject matter.
September 16, 2013
Picture Book Project
Category: Picture Book Soak ("Really Like")
Source: Princess Anne Public Library
In A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer, Litter Critter and his family decides to plant a garden. Ready to plant his garden, the family heads to the local garden store to purchase seeds and necessary equipment/tools. With the required hard work to help the garden grow and patience, the family is able to enjoy the harvest.
With this picture book, the author ensures to include rich and vibrant illustrations in order to draw the reader's eye to the diversity of plant life growing in Little Critter's garden. Mayer uses a brilliant combination of both warm and cool colors in the book's illustration. Special emphasis is given to the cool green color of the garden's plants while high contrast occurs when the red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables begin to grow.
Mercer introduces new science-related concepts when describing how their garden flourishes – the "weed, water, and wait" motto, the process of growing the plants, the compost heap for making "good garden dirt," and buying "good bugs that eat bad bugs." Overall, this picture book would be a superlative anticipatory introduction (as a read-aloud) before an integrated science/social studies unit on agriculture and plant growth.
Category: Picture Book Soak ("Really Like")
Source: Princess Anne Public Library
In A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer, Litter Critter and his family decides to plant a garden. Ready to plant his garden, the family heads to the local garden store to purchase seeds and necessary equipment/tools. With the required hard work to help the garden grow and patience, the family is able to enjoy the harvest.
With this picture book, the author ensures to include rich and vibrant illustrations in order to draw the reader's eye to the diversity of plant life growing in Little Critter's garden. Mayer uses a brilliant combination of both warm and cool colors in the book's illustration. Special emphasis is given to the cool green color of the garden's plants while high contrast occurs when the red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables begin to grow.
Mercer introduces new science-related concepts when describing how their garden flourishes – the "weed, water, and wait" motto, the process of growing the plants, the compost heap for making "good garden dirt," and buying "good bugs that eat bad bugs." Overall, this picture book would be a superlative anticipatory introduction (as a read-aloud) before an integrated science/social studies unit on agriculture and plant growth.
October 19, 2015
A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer is about a young boy named Little Critter planting a garden with his family. They start out by taking a trip to the garden store that Little Critter says will have everything he needs. Little Critter looks through all of the seeds and makes a mess which doesn’t make the store owner very happy. Little Critter’s dad suggests that they buy some baby plants, which they do. Little Critter gets confused and says that the plants all look the same. Little Critter’s dad rents a plow for their garden, and then the family returns home to plant the garden. Little Critter’s dad plows the garden, and Little Critter gets the garden ready by picking up stones and grass with his sister. After they finish planting, Little Critter thinks they are done working, but his dad lets him know that they have to water the plants. Little Critter’s dad takes pictures of the plans as they grow, and eventually, the family eats a dinner of everything they have grown. This would be a fun book to read in class when starting a unit n how things grown and what components they need.
April 22, 2015
A Green, Green Garden By Mercer Mayer is about the process of planting a garden. The book is beginning to read and you can tell by the short sentence structure, simple vocabulary, and large words on each of the pages. The illustrations are a crucial part of the story and help tell the story. The story is very simple and has simple ideas.
I like the Little Critter books and enjoy the illustrations that go along with the book. I read this book as a child and loved them. I plan to use these in my own classroom because they are fun, colorful, and appeal to children.
As a teacher I would use this as an independent read for children in preschool or kindergarten. The book could be used to practice reading and build phonemic awareness and vocabulary. You could use this book as an independent read during reading time, homework or group work. It is possible to use this book as a read aloud during kindergarten and preschool and then have a group conversation over the what the story was about.
I like the Little Critter books and enjoy the illustrations that go along with the book. I read this book as a child and loved them. I plan to use these in my own classroom because they are fun, colorful, and appeal to children.
As a teacher I would use this as an independent read for children in preschool or kindergarten. The book could be used to practice reading and build phonemic awareness and vocabulary. You could use this book as an independent read during reading time, homework or group work. It is possible to use this book as a read aloud during kindergarten and preschool and then have a group conversation over the what the story was about.
October 14, 2013
Another Mercer Mayer book that all my kids enjoyed. My 5 yr old just adores Mayer and requests her books constantly. I read them at the breakfast or lunch table and even my 3 yr old twins get into them. We love trying to find the mouse and spider that seems to follow the main character around, they’re always doing silly things. This one was a level 1 reader reading book, and a little on the easy side, but still enjoyable. Fun engaging themes that any child can relate to, a great addition to any children's library.
September 26, 2016
This book would be fantastic in a first grade classroom. The pictures are very fun and colorful, and the sentences are short with simple words. There are a couple words that the kids would not know, so it would be a great learning experience. If the entire class read the book, which could be done in small groups, a science lesson could be done covering the gardening aspect of the book. It talks about good bugs, watering, and many other things that kids should learn about.
May 1, 2015
Mercer Mayer has written another wonder book with A Green, Green Garden where the family comes together to plant, water, weed and wait for a garden to grow. The children in preschool found this book fun while we were doing science projects and planting different vegetables. A Green, Green Garden is an excellent book to add to a unit on plants.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews