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Uno's Garden
When Uno arrives in the forest one beautiful day, there are many fascinating and extraordinary animals there to greet him. And one entirely unexceptional Snortlepig.
Uno loves the forest so much, he decides to live there. But, in time, a little village grows up around his house. Then a town, then a city. . . and soon Uno realises that the animals and plants have begun to disappear. . .
Uno loves the forest so much, he decides to live there. But, in time, a little village grows up around his house. Then a town, then a city. . . and soon Uno realises that the animals and plants have begun to disappear. . .
44 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
9 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
February 27, 2020
Our library only has a few Graeme Base books and I read them all so I’m having to go ILL to see more of them and I’m glad that I did.
Graeme is such an artist. His stories have detail, personality and they are beautiful and fun to look at. He is also a puzzler, it seems. He loves to create puzzles for people to solve. This is a counting book, a puzzle book and a find-it-in-the-picture book.
He has 3 vectors to look for. Animals, plants and buildings. Each vector is doing something different. The back page explains it all. At the end we see that it’s also a bit of a nature book. The point of the story and the game is to see that we need to achieve a balance between these 3 vectors.
Of course, I’m working on a story and have been for years and years. The thing I am trying to achieve is that balance between human civilizaton and nature. I do believe we are smart enough to find a way to live with nature and we don’t have to be at war with one another. This book was perfect for me at this moment.
The nephew read this with me and then he and his dad took the book and went looking for all the stuff in the pictures. His dad explained some of the more complex math things like Prime Numbers in the book. You can read this and go to bed or you can use it to learn some higher type math stuff. He gave this 4 stars. He loved the one-eyed monkey things and he loved the name of the Puddlebuts, of course.
Graeme is such an artist. His stories have detail, personality and they are beautiful and fun to look at. He is also a puzzler, it seems. He loves to create puzzles for people to solve. This is a counting book, a puzzle book and a find-it-in-the-picture book.
He has 3 vectors to look for. Animals, plants and buildings. Each vector is doing something different. The back page explains it all. At the end we see that it’s also a bit of a nature book. The point of the story and the game is to see that we need to achieve a balance between these 3 vectors.
Of course, I’m working on a story and have been for years and years. The thing I am trying to achieve is that balance between human civilizaton and nature. I do believe we are smart enough to find a way to live with nature and we don’t have to be at war with one another. This book was perfect for me at this moment.
The nephew read this with me and then he and his dad took the book and went looking for all the stuff in the pictures. His dad explained some of the more complex math things like Prime Numbers in the book. You can read this and go to bed or you can use it to learn some higher type math stuff. He gave this 4 stars. He loved the one-eyed monkey things and he loved the name of the Puddlebuts, of course.
January 27, 2009
Well beyond X-man’s current capabilities – but definitely on the list to read to him when he’s older.
After slightly disappointing me with the straightforwardness of Jungle Drums Graeme has outdone himself in this book. Truly tremendous fun in playing hide-and-seek with all of the plants and animals (he conveniently provides a list of what to find, and how many!).
At the simplest level this is a relatively simple counting game – the animals count down from 10 to 1. But the back of the book explains a the maths behind the numbers of plants, buildings and humans – with increasing level of complexity of maths. This should keep the kids going well into primary school.
The underlying story is also agreeable – the first children’s story I’ve read with a blatant environmental message.
I love the Trifflids – a reference to Day of the Triffids (with its self-destruction of the human race).
After slightly disappointing me with the straightforwardness of Jungle Drums Graeme has outdone himself in this book. Truly tremendous fun in playing hide-and-seek with all of the plants and animals (he conveniently provides a list of what to find, and how many!).
At the simplest level this is a relatively simple counting game – the animals count down from 10 to 1. But the back of the book explains a the maths behind the numbers of plants, buildings and humans – with increasing level of complexity of maths. This should keep the kids going well into primary school.
The underlying story is also agreeable – the first children’s story I’ve read with a blatant environmental message.
I love the Trifflids – a reference to Day of the Triffids (with its self-destruction of the human race).
February 17, 2013
Book 14, Day 14 - Mini Family Classics from News Limited.
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
First Published: 2006
An environmental story of hope and rebirth focussing on original (made up), creative animals, plants and buildings. Full of visually striking images to make the reader look further into the story while overlaying the whole with a math lesson (Fibonacci numbers, as well as basic counting). The story is sweet and intriguing, making the book an interesting addition to our library.
Graeme Base discusses "Uno's Garden" - it's a story of balance with layers mathematical sequencing counting games, and hope as we look at the difference we make to our environment.
Teaching Resources
- Teaching resource for 4-5 year olds from The Little Big Book Club. Emphasises nature exploration and gardens. Also has speech therapy setting. Emphasises comprehension, sequencing, and transition words.
- Math activities including data collection, sequencing and relationships.
Age (taking into account comprehension, concentration, language):
Read aloud - 4+ (counting games)
Read yourself - 6+ (with Math concepts increasing to 10+)
(ISBN 9327014001283)
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
First Published: 2006
An environmental story of hope and rebirth focussing on original (made up), creative animals, plants and buildings. Full of visually striking images to make the reader look further into the story while overlaying the whole with a math lesson (Fibonacci numbers, as well as basic counting). The story is sweet and intriguing, making the book an interesting addition to our library.
Graeme Base discusses "Uno's Garden" - it's a story of balance with layers mathematical sequencing counting games, and hope as we look at the difference we make to our environment.
Teaching Resources
- Teaching resource for 4-5 year olds from The Little Big Book Club. Emphasises nature exploration and gardens. Also has speech therapy setting. Emphasises comprehension, sequencing, and transition words.
- Math activities including data collection, sequencing and relationships.
Age (taking into account comprehension, concentration, language):
Read aloud - 4+ (counting games)
Read yourself - 6+ (with Math concepts increasing to 10+)
(ISBN 9327014001283)
August 3, 2017
Graeme Base has written and illustrated the most amazing children's book about the environment and the need for balance between humans and animals.
Uno is a cute little character, a type of explorer that finds a beautiful forest full of animals and trees. He decides to live there.
Each page lists the amount of trees and animals in it but as you turn the page it seems more humans have found Uno's hideout. They build a city. Guess what this means for the native plants and animals?
In the end everyone is unhappy without any natural habitat surrounding them so they pack up and leave! But not Uno. He is determined to find a balance where he and his children can still live on.
Such beautiful drawings on every page and also things for kids to count.
Beautiful and educational. 5 stars!
Uno is a cute little character, a type of explorer that finds a beautiful forest full of animals and trees. He decides to live there.
Each page lists the amount of trees and animals in it but as you turn the page it seems more humans have found Uno's hideout. They build a city. Guess what this means for the native plants and animals?
In the end everyone is unhappy without any natural habitat surrounding them so they pack up and leave! But not Uno. He is determined to find a balance where he and his children can still live on.
Such beautiful drawings on every page and also things for kids to count.
Beautiful and educational. 5 stars!
May 30, 2019
Not quite up to the heights of Animalia and The Waterhole, but still a wonderful book. Fantastical, imaginative animals and plants are used to teach about addition/subtraction, doubling, square numbers and achieving balance in our environment. Kids love finding the snortlepig & poring over the amazing multi-page spread at the end.
September 3, 2015
Not my favourite fantastical animals but the message of this book, coupled with some great math conundrums, makes it a fun challenge to the heart and mind!
August 29, 2019
Fun and interactive!
October 10, 2011
I didn't find this book by Base to be as much fun as some of his others, especially Animalia. Uno's garden starts out full of lots of animals and plants, but as people begin to build in the area, the flora and fauna slowly disappear, until there are none left, and only a city remains, which the people eventually abandon. However, nature has a way of bouncing back, and gradually the animals and plants make a comeback. This time, though, the people try to build in harmony with nature, and in balance with it, rather than overbuilding. Base works in some nifty math lessons here, with counting forwards, and backwards, and multiplication. Interested readers can try to find all the plants, animals, and buildings that are supposed to be in the picture. The artwork, of course, is detailed and colorful, with touches of humor. Frankly, those Tumbletops are so cute, I'd like to have a few myself! The environmental lesson here is clear--if you destroy the habitat, you destroy the plants and animals--and some never come back. Poor Snortlepig! Kids will love this one, and I'm sure math teachers will too!
June 15, 2009
Son (age 6) says...
"I like to read this book because I like to count how many buildings, how many animals, and how many plants are on these pages. My favorite animals are the Gondolopes and the Puddlebuts. I like the Featherfern plants, and the Log Cabins."
Mom says...
My son loves this book, and no wonder. There are so many ways to interact with it. The mathematical concepts are actually pretty complex (going from subtraction/addition to squares, exponents, primes), but children of any age can enjoy the games of counting down and back up again, and playing a "Where's Waldo" style game of hunt-and-find, looking for fantastic imaginary creatures. The illustrations are lush, colorful, full of life. Also, the book is a good visual aid for helping children understand what happens when a delicate ecosystem is thrown out of balance.
All ages can enjoy the artwork, but it's best for kids who know how to count up to ten at least.
"I like to read this book because I like to count how many buildings, how many animals, and how many plants are on these pages. My favorite animals are the Gondolopes and the Puddlebuts. I like the Featherfern plants, and the Log Cabins."
Mom says...
My son loves this book, and no wonder. There are so many ways to interact with it. The mathematical concepts are actually pretty complex (going from subtraction/addition to squares, exponents, primes), but children of any age can enjoy the games of counting down and back up again, and playing a "Where's Waldo" style game of hunt-and-find, looking for fantastic imaginary creatures. The illustrations are lush, colorful, full of life. Also, the book is a good visual aid for helping children understand what happens when a delicate ecosystem is thrown out of balance.
All ages can enjoy the artwork, but it's best for kids who know how to count up to ten at least.
November 2, 2012
What a totally fun way to teach kids basic math skills. Adding. Subtracting. Multiplication/Squares. Even exponential growth.
I didn't find the "tree hugging" message too overbearing. Present, but conveyed in a tasteful way that will generally be met with little argument. The idea that people should be good stewards of the earth is one that generally resonates positively. How that is accomplished is another matter entirely.
This book can also really encourage kids to be creative since the world is fictional, as are the plants and animals. You cannot help but smile at their names, and pictures.
In typical Base hide and seek fashion, children read along and count the various items on each page. The illustrations are colorful, exotic, and fascinating. The ending foldout is a real treat. I'm just waiting for this to become a Pixar movie...
I didn't find the "tree hugging" message too overbearing. Present, but conveyed in a tasteful way that will generally be met with little argument. The idea that people should be good stewards of the earth is one that generally resonates positively. How that is accomplished is another matter entirely.
This book can also really encourage kids to be creative since the world is fictional, as are the plants and animals. You cannot help but smile at their names, and pictures.
In typical Base hide and seek fashion, children read along and count the various items on each page. The illustrations are colorful, exotic, and fascinating. The ending foldout is a real treat. I'm just waiting for this to become a Pixar movie...
November 13, 2014
A clever, thought-provoking book for children, and adults alike. It's quite easy for a parent to tire of reading the same book over and over, but Uno's Garden keeps showing me new layers.
Example 1: Read the story for a somber, yet hopeful story of our environment
Example 2: When you tire of that, start looking for the mathematical equations listed in the top right of the book.
Example 3: Done with that? Now start looking for the Snortle Pig buried deep within the pictures. Trust me- he's there, although he's well-hidden in most photos.
Our copy of Uno's Garden is well worn. It's the perfect book to read to your child's class, as it allows for healthy discussions, and/or inspired kids to create their own "hybrid animals" like the ones depicted in the story.
Good stuff.
Example 1: Read the story for a somber, yet hopeful story of our environment
Example 2: When you tire of that, start looking for the mathematical equations listed in the top right of the book.
Example 3: Done with that? Now start looking for the Snortle Pig buried deep within the pictures. Trust me- he's there, although he's well-hidden in most photos.
Our copy of Uno's Garden is well worn. It's the perfect book to read to your child's class, as it allows for healthy discussions, and/or inspired kids to create their own "hybrid animals" like the ones depicted in the story.
Good stuff.
October 7, 2012
I love the creativity in this book, as I do in all Graeme Base's material. It's especially apparent here in the *kind* of creatures he draws, like the people. They look almost human and yet . . . not. The animals are ones we might recognize, but as strange, new combinations of the ordinary. Add a timely message about living in harmony with the environment and fun number games, and you've got a recipe for a winner. [SPOILER] I left off one star because the protagonist dies in the middle of the book. I felt this might be a bit shocking and sad for younger readers. I know it was for me! But I don't think it's something that would spoil the book on the whole. It still ends very peaceably and happily.
March 6, 2016
Finally, an eco-friendly book that isn't insufferably preachy! It's the story of Uno who goes to live in the forest because he enjoys the plants and animals there so much. Eventually more people follow him and the forest ends up turning into a huge city, where there are no plants in the animals. Uno (and the snortle pig) eventually die, but his children and grandchildren take up the task of nurturing a new forest. In the end, the book extols the virtues of living in balance with nature (instead of suggesting that humans have no place in the world at all like soooooo many other books of this nature).
Also has some very fun math equations.
Great, vivid, colorful illustrations!
Also has some very fun math equations.
Great, vivid, colorful illustrations!
November 24, 2009
What an amazing story about the effects humans have on the environment. Not only does it bring up questions about wildlife, habitat destruction, extinction, and death, it goes the step farther and shows how humans can learn to successfully interact with their environment. In addition to the message, this book also give children the opportunity to count (down and then up) and for the more advanced/older child, the chance to multiply. It's an environmental tale and a math lesson all in one beautifully illustrated book! I love the second to last page where you have to search in the intricate lines of the tree bark and plants to find the snortlepig. Engaging for kids and adults every time!
October 20, 2012
Graeme Base at his best: a magical journey for children with fantastic creatures, with many numeracy activities embedded for older readers (and basic counting for younger ones) and a strong message about the need to find a balance between industrialisation and the natural world. The outlook seems bleak but as in another of Base's books, The Waterhole, it is not too late to reverse the damage if we identify the problem and try to do something about it.
I sat with my 3-year old son and we pored over this book for nearly an hour, taking in the many details. A children's book is always a winner when both child ad parent are equally entertained!
I sat with my 3-year old son and we pored over this book for nearly an hour, taking in the many details. A children's book is always a winner when both child ad parent are equally entertained!
February 27, 2020
Highly recommend all of Graeme Base's books. You always get a good story, fabulous illustrations, clever visual tricks, and a puzzle or mystery to solve.
This book also adds a very strong, touching story about man's impact on the environment in a gentle, effective way for kids. The characters and animals are charming and will appeal to kids. The story arcs from becoming sad back to optimistic for the future.
In addition to the story, this book can be gone through again and again as a counting book as well to find the animals/characters hidden on each page.
Charming book that gently teaches kids to care about wildlife and our planet as well as all who share it.
This book also adds a very strong, touching story about man's impact on the environment in a gentle, effective way for kids. The characters and animals are charming and will appeal to kids. The story arcs from becoming sad back to optimistic for the future.
In addition to the story, this book can be gone through again and again as a counting book as well to find the animals/characters hidden on each page.
Charming book that gently teaches kids to care about wildlife and our planet as well as all who share it.
November 16, 2009
This is a beautifully illustrated book about environmental balance. It's a bit of a retelling of The Lorax. and while I enjoy the pull of the story in The Lorax a bit more than this story, the illustrations in Uno's Garden are really breathtaking. My daughter and I did a little school project with it where we looked at its comparisons to The Lorax and she seemed to enjoy drawing those connections.
August 4, 2017
As always I love Graeme Base's amazingly detailed drawing style, but here I missed his usual rhyming scheme. The animals in this book are imaginary and the message is one about being kind to the environment, making sure not to crowd out nature. There's a special creature to hunt for on each page and other counting and math going on for older kids. 3.5 stars
March 26, 2018
My nearly-2 year old adores the illustrations and the task of finding the snortlepig, various plants, and Uno’s house on every page. The environmental message is also a bonus that he obviously doesn’t understand at his age- one day, perhaps, it’ll all come together. For now, it’s an entertaining read for all members of the family.
July 16, 2014
I've loved Graeme Base for years, so I'll ignore that this one is a little to didactic, because the critters are cool and the math is fun
August 10, 2017
Love love love this book! Cute kids book!
March 26, 2018
The kids LOVED the moopaloops.
March 18, 2019
A beautifully illustrated counting book with nonsense animals. A strong lesson in caring for nature and learning to live harmoniously with all the creatures of the world.
January 15, 2022
Graeme Base's book The Waterhole is a firm favourite with the toddlers I work with and so I borrowed this to see if it might also be suitable. I think the nuances of the story are better suited to slightly older children, who will thrill to the fantastical creatures depicted and also grasp the sad poignancy of the tale of a receding natural environment. My favourite animals were the Moopaloops and Tumbletops (both big-eyed, cat-like creatures). Having recently read The Secret River, I interpreted Uno's Garden as an allegory of colonisation and the way the natural environment falls mercy to the progress narrative and encroachment of "civilisation". It's very hard to read this book without a heavy heart, even though its ending is somewhat hopeful.
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September 12, 2022This children's book combines hidden images with mathematical problems. Throughout the book the main character Uno head out to the jungle. While through his journey in the jungle Uno can always spot one snortlepig. But as Uno explores he also builds a village. With each page, you can spot different animals and even buildings. Towards the end of the book, Uno made a whole city and there are no more snortle pigs that can be found. The book teaches children about extinction and the importance of the environment.
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August 22, 2025Super cute children's book with fun illustrations. Theme is an environmentalist message, animals are adorable, there is a "where is it?" element on each page.
And the illustrator/author is Australian, which is a plus since I am not familiar with much work by Australians.
http://graemebase.com.au/
If you go to the "limited edition prints" section, you can see nice samples of his illustration. I like it a lot.
And the illustrator/author is Australian, which is a plus since I am not familiar with much work by Australians.
http://graemebase.com.au/
If you go to the "limited edition prints" section, you can see nice samples of his illustration. I like it a lot.
September 27, 2022
Graeme Base’s books always comes with enchanting detailed illustrations. This one is really fun for kids, doing a little bit of math and searching for snortle pig on each page. Resonates deeply for adults telling the story at the same time as the emergency we face on environmental issues and climate change is knocking on our front door.
February 6, 2023
Truly UNIQUE- from the imagery to the story to the reverse and forward counting of the creatures as they appear and disappear, to finding the snortlepig on every page, to the types (and names!) of creatures, to the underlying lesson of environmental protection/everything existing in perfect harmony, this book is utterly fabulous. A must buy, must read !
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January 29, 2024Uno's Garden is about deforestation and gentrification of certain areas. The animals in this area eventually got pushed out of their home because of the buildings and stores being brought in by people. Pollution started to follow and animals couldn't keep living in this area. This book shows how important our environment is and why we need it to survive.
September 10, 2018
Wonderful story about balance of humans and nature. Detailed colourful illustrations create a world familiar but different from ours. Cleverly hidden characters and counting challenges add to the depth of interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews