Jack's Garden: A Rhyming Picture Book About Seeds, Flowers, and Garden Life for Kids

by Henry Cole

Come to the garden that Jack planted!

You'll see seeds and seedlings, buds and leaves, birds and bugs and butterflies. And best of all, you'll watch the garden bloom.

"Building on a rhyme that will be familiar to many children, author-illustrator Cole creates an enticing guide to creating a garden. 'This is the garden that Jack planted...' The final illustration presents a satisfied-looking boy surrounded by a lush, bird-filled flower garden. A concluding page of gardening suggestions serves as a springboard to books with more specific guidelines." (Horn Book)

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Science, Plants, Gardening, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Henry Cole was a celebrated science teacher for many years before turning his talents to children's books. He has worked on nearly one hundred and fifty books for children, including Nesting, Unspoken, Big Bug, A Nest for Celeste, Jack's Garden, and On Meadowview Street. Henry loves being outside where he can sketch and write.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. What a wonderful education in backyard natural history I just had! *This* is the book I wanted when I was a child. I always wanted to know butterflies beyond Monarchs and Painted Ladies, and bugs beyond mosquito and grasshopper. etc... and never had anything nearly as accessible as this. And here I am, over four decades on, and only now finding out that there are many different kinds of ladybugs that could all be found in the same region!

Now we have the internet, of course. But a child won't find this information online if s/he isn't inspired to look for it. And this book is beautiful and entertaining, and will provide that inspiration. And for the youngest lap-sitters, just read the verse until they ask "What's that?" and they'll still be getting a good read. Author's note included. If you can find a scrap of earth in which to plant a little garden, buy this book for your nephew or grand-daughter....

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations of all the life found in a backyard garden.

[Jamey Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This book illustrates and describes the process of making and nurturing a garden. Each age and each step provides pictures and labels of items you would need for a garden at each step, as well as the types of plants and flowers you might grow in a garden. It is kind of like a mini field guide/intro to gardening for kids in a storybook format.

Opinion: I enjoyed the illustrations in this book, they are beautiful textured colored pencil images, with lots of green but still containing a rainbow of colors that you would find in nature and in a garden. I also liked how even though it does appear to serve as a child’s field guide, it still has words for a little story as the garden grows and each step in the process advances.

How I would use it: While I was reading this book I couldn't help but think of a young child who recently sparked in interest in gardens. This is a book that could help further nurture a growing passion or interest or even spark such an interest. Full of vocabulary relating to a garden, this would be a wonderful book to use for all sorts of language therapy for a child who loves gardening or nature or just learning new information. Because the book progresses step by step through how the garden grows, this could also be used in teaching sequencing and ordering events.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the "This is the House that Jack Built" theme, here we have a little boy Jack "building" a garden. There are lots of great details here in terms of how the garden grows from first tilling the soil to the fully blossoming flowers and the birds and insects that come to revel in it. Lots of information in terms of the types of bugs and flowers (even a dianthus, which I was so happy to see after having lived on a Dianthus Lane for two years and most people being utterly clueless what a dianthus is, let alone how to spell it, haha!) but it's all very accessible for young kids. There's a section in the back about starting your own garden, too.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the "this is the house that Jack built" story, this is the story of a garden that Jack planted.

I liked the illustrations and I also liked how the pages show a variety of plants, animals, bugs, birds, gardening tools etc. with the names.

It can be used to build vocabulary and to discuss gardening.

I'm assuming this is for older preschoolers, since reading all the vocabulary words can make it a bit long, but you could also read it without those vocabulary words.

[Susea Spray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful cumulative story written in the sytle of 'The House that Jack Built' Jack's Garden tells the story of a garden as Jack nurtures it along.

From the tilling of the soil, through to its budding and flowering, the pastel illustrations beautifully align with the text.

Although some of the vocabulary may be tricky, these words provides a great discussion topic for adults and child.

The small illustrations or insects, birds or flowers surrounding the main picture added depth as they added detail to what happens in a garden's life.

A great book to use in topics on plants, animals and gardens. Jack's Garden is also worth having when creative a library of cumulative stories for sharing.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is on two levels. One is for young children. The other is for older children.
Jack is planting a wildflower garden.
The excellent illustrations show different stages from preparing the garden and what is in soil to seeds to plants to pollinators and more.
For young children the text sets up a phrase and adds a layer to it on each page.
For older children, the illustrations show and name the creatures and wildflowers in Jack's garden. There is also a page urging children to plant their own gardens.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the style of This is the House that Jack Built we see the garden take shape. Each two-page spread explains one aspect of the garden, starting with the tools, the soil, the seeds, the rain, the seedlings, the plants, the buds, the flowers, the insects, the birds, and finally the garden. One spread in the back talks about how to start your own garden. This isn't great for story time - it's not really a story - but one could use it to teach about the stages of a garden.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cumulative story in the style of This is the House That Jack Built. Building a house Jack is planting a garden, from planning and preparing the soil, planting flower seeds, enjoying the growth this evenings too buds to the flowers. There are tools shown and labelled plus different things that live in the ground, insects on the plants, butterflies and birds that visit the garden. Fun story with beautiful illustrations.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A progressively building story about Jack's garden.

This reads to a familiar pattern, and each new phrase is just added to all the ones before, making this a good one for beginning readers. Also a good pick for talking about gardens and the ecosystem in a garden, as Cole looks at not only the plants but the insects, birds and critters in the soil.

[Shelby Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a well-rounded informative children's book of all events that can occur in a garden. Each page was a new event with detailed illustration, as well as information on types of insects and birds included.
Topics: gardening, science, insects, birds, soil, rain/weather, seeds, flowers/blossoming, nectar, growing your own garden.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely illustrated life cycle of a garden book has a text that is built upon this is the house that Jack built Each two page spread has illustrations around the border depicting a theme of the garden for example tools, seeds or insects. All of the components of the garden are presented in this title and even though it is an older title it remains timeless.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest problem with this book was that it claims it is "building on a rhyme that will be familiar to many children...," but it doesn't rhyme. It has a pretty awkward cadence in some spots too. I loved the detailed illustrations of the variety of life inside the garden, but my children weren't too interested in that part. They wanted a story, but there wasn't one here.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story that is the garden version of The House that Jack Built. What is really great about this book are the pictures and and their accompanying names. It covers everything from garden tools, clouds, worms, insects, seeds, seedlings, buds, flowers, and birds. A wonderful picture book for very young children, but also a great learning tool for older ones.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the cumulative story “The House that Jack Built”, this time we see Jack grow a garden. I don’t really care much for these type of stories, mostly because they feel a bit over represented in children’s lit , but really liked the extra detail within the illustrations here. There is a lot to learn in the pictures about seeds, soil, plants, and critters found within the garden ecosystem.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

This is a cumulative tale about a garden and the illustrations are marvelous. So much is shown throughout the book (clouds, insects, birds, seeds, plants, flower, etc.). I can see this sparking an interest in gardening. Heck, it made me want to start a garden even though I have a black thumb!

[Annie Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adaptation of The House that Jack Built is cute and the kids enjoyed looking at and talking about the pictures, but it was a bit much for little readers and listeners. It was, however, easily adaptable so that all listeners could enjoy it!

[Caroline Herfindahl]

Based on This is the House that Jack Built - in this book Jack plants a garden and we follow it from planting to full garden. Illustrations fill the page and introduce us to what we’d find in the garden at each stage of growth. Excellent non- fiction components and extensions.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another just fine Let’s Find Out book suggestion. It’s based on the “house that Jack built” type of pattern, which my class grew very tired of surprisingly. I liked the simple text and labeling in the illustrations. I’d probably read it again.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute little picture book that is a play of the House that Jack Built

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute take on the 'This is the House That Jack Built' rhyme.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reinforcement of the planning and care needed to start and keep up with a garden. Illustrations help children learn all the living things, plants and animals, that make up a garden.

[Megan Wagner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just don't like books that repeat themselves every page.

[Nolan Brendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because I got to read the animal names, and bug names, and plant names and everything.

[Kt Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love! For planting with kids

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the soft colored pencil illustrations, the large pages, and the variety of things in the garden. Nice tips in the back for starting a garden.

[Catherine Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack’s Garden is a book that illustrates the building of a garden and how it grows over a summer. On each page, gardening vocabulary, elements, tools, and the plant life cycle are accurately illustrated and labeled. It is a very good book for teaching gardening and living things in the garden. Children will love the descriptive text and the informative illustrations. The text and the illustrations are well connected and showed the children not only the diversity but also the complexity of the natural world. For example, on the page illustrating late summer, several types of ladybugs were illustrated so that the readers will know the term “ladybug” is a general term for a certain species of insects. The rich illustration and the short text also leave a lot room for free discussion while reading the book. For children with special needs, the teacher can copy the animals and plants from the book and laminate each of them, so that the children can pick one and try to find it in the book.

This book might be put on a bookshelf for literacy-gardening, science-living things and its life cycle, math-counting/compare/contrast, and social studies.

[Rose Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! I love to garden and I thought this book was not only enjoyable, but informational. The story is a building one, which makes it fun and helpful for new readers. The words are repeated each time with a new part on each page. The illustrations are beautiful and educational. This book would be good for a science class on plants, insects, animals, and soil. At the end it gives gardening tips and places where seeds can be bought on-line. It does not have a vocabulary page, but it has pictures of certain things with the words written under them, so it is like a picture dictionary. This would be good for ELL students. I learned from this book! I think many children will enjoy reading, or being read to, this book. I definitely would recommend it!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text of this book is yet another variation on "The House that Jack Built." However, the illustrations turn the lackluster text into a worthwhile book. Each two-page spread highlights different things you need for or find in a garden. The first depicts and labels gardening tools, the second animals that live in the soil (including a mole, whose presence has been evident in our backyard this week), and it continues with seeds, clouds, plants, insects, birds, flowers, and more. This encourages children to look closely at nature, which can even be found right in their own backyard. Any good nature book should do this.

[Amanda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome!! There are SO many topics you could teach on! The text builds off the previous page of text so I feel children really get an emphasis on what's being said. There are a plethora of vocabulary words that children can learn. There are bugs and flowers so both boys and girls can find an interest in this book. There is also talk of the cloud formations, different kinds of flowers, the stages in which a flower grows, and many different bugs and insects. The possibilities are endless with this book!