Grandpa's Garden

by Stella Fry

This beautifully told story follows Billy from early spring to late summer as he helps his grandpa on his vegetable patch. They dig the hard ground in early spring, sow rows of seeds, and keep them watered and safe from slugs. When harvest time arrives they can pick all the vegetables and fruit they have grown.

Genres: Picture Books, Gardening, Childrens, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Tahya Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a super cute read. I think this would be a really good book to read to your kids if you and your family are wanting to start a garden together. I know when I was in elementary, us kids hard our own cup and we planted little plants. This book would be perfect to read then if you were a teacher and wanted to do a fun activities with your class about plants and how to care for them. The pictures in the book were great and the best part about the book is that it has a step by step guide on how to start a garden and what to do. Overall this is a great informational book and I would recommend it.

[Devera C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool way to introduce the process of gardening. I also love at the end of the book there is a layout and plan for plots of a garden.

[Christopher Reiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better gardening-focused children's picture books I've come across.

The artwork (by Sheila Moxley) is lush and engaging, and the book's design (font choice, layout, etc.) is thoughtful. I also like Stella Fry's writing....mostly. While I appreciate her occasional poetic flights of fancy (e.g., the light is sharp like lemon juice or the sun sinks, tender as the ripest peach), they seem like interjections rather than the observations of the child protagonist. I'm quibbling only because I like the book so much. :)

It's an excellent addition to the library.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much loved book! We have read it over and over! It’s not too scary and it’s educational. Kids love learning through stories and books like this are few and far between. My child is always asking when will there be another book about grandpa? Please write more stories Stella! The illustrations are delightful too!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Gardening, perfect for my Kindergartener.

[Julie Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very great combination of both fact and fiction.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text was so lovely. The illustrations colorful but a bit stiff. Beatuiful story of growing and gardens, and the love between a grandfather and grandson.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and sweet journey through the seasons and the relationship with grandpa.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beautifully presented and has a lot going for it appearance wise. I liked the fact it went through all the seasons and harped on about the amount of waiting involved in a garden. All of this is both realistic and worth mentioning. I liked the ideas of continuity and time in the grandfather and grandson, in the seeds, in the seasons (history, science, as well as literacy and numeracy connections) and gardening is a health and sustainability topic anyway. So I don't regret buying the book.

The purple prose always irritates me every time I read this book aloud. I don't always hate similes. I only hate them when they are too big for their context, when they distract from the myriad other things that are happening, when they are unnecessary and awkward. I give Fry the benefit of the doubt and assume she adds similes about the sky to try to show the change and contrast of seasons. But the similes are not anchored to anything (though they retain a gardening theme) and they add noting apart from a sort of preciousness. I don't like them at all and they very nearly ruined what is otherwise a beautiful book as well.

I suspect it is trying to proselytize as well but I forgive it that as one forgives beautiful books and people for being a little too opinionated. The colours and the thick cover wrap you up and suck you in. Beauty is the main impression.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

All year, Billy helps his grandpa in the vegetable garden.

This is the delightful story of Billy and his grandpa in the vegetable garden. It takes you and your child through the seasons as there are different jobs to do depending on the time of year. It starts in winter when all seems dead and finishes with the autumn harvest.

The illustrations are bright and colourful and the story not too complicated. When it ends then there are tips for planting your own vegetable garden and each season has its own list of Grandpa's tips and jobs.

This book is therefore not just a story but also a gardening guide for children. This makes the price of £5.99 a very good one.



Read more: http://beckywilloughby.blogspot.com/2...

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book about a boy and his Grandpa working together through all four seasons to build and grow their garden. Many jobs to be done and the hardest task - the waiting - are featured. My favorite parts were the facts at the end, describing and detailing what must happen all throughout the year to have a successful garden. Having a black thumb myself... it's always fun to read about other people's grand successes.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice story about gardening and great information in the back to share with kids about gardening (and good for grown ups, too!).

[Amanda Martinez Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved working in the garden with my pap, so I really liked this book. It has a helpful little guide at the end for what gardening work you should do during each season.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a good book

[Sarah Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade: 3rd-5th
Genre: Contemporary realistic

I really enjoyed this book! I felt like there was a lot of information in this book that could be used to create a class garden. I really liked the way the author used the 4 seasons and how they would take care of the garden in each season and the different things it required for each season!