A Gardener's Alphabet

by Mary Azarian

Revealing the variety of life underground, the bright comfort of a greenhouse on a winter’s day, or the anticipation of starting seeds indoors in early spring, this striking alphabet book celebrates the simple joys of gardening. Without neglecting the frustrations—the nibbling critters and the toil—or wry, humorous moments spent in the garden. Mary Azarian’s spare words and lovely woodcuts capture the essence of turning a bare plot of ground into fragrant flowers and lush vegetables and trees. Her depictions of insects, manure, and compost piles are as delightful as her fountains, pumpkins, and Queen Anne’s lace. Whether we are young or old, our gardens both exhaust and renew us. They are our source of magic and wonder and perhaps our best way to live closer to the land and to the rhythm of the seasons.

Genres: Picture Books, Gardening, Childrens, Nature, Summer, Pre K, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2000

About the author

Mary Azarian has illustrated many books for children, including SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY, which won the Caldecott Medal. Her fine-art woodcuts and stationery are instantly recognizable and beloved by collectors everywhere. Mary Azarian lives in Vermont.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
I love gardening as well as alphabet books, so after reading GR friend, Melody's review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I borrowed a copy from my local library.

Praises:
1. several of the praises I had for this book coincided with the students of a Grade 3 class (8-year-olds) that I read it aloud to. Here are their thoughts:
-"I like gardening with my grandma."
-"The pictures were really cool!" (Note: each heartwarming illustration was created using intricately carved and vividly painted woodblocks!)
-"I liked that it's an alphabet book."
2. many students, including myself, had a favorite page evoking a personal memory (mine was "Rest" after gardening, especially with a good book);
3. I liked how each season was represented in suitable gardening activities; and,
4. author Mary Azarian's Foreword imparts a lovely message about gardening memories.

Niggles:
1. several students and I wished the pages had more text detailing each letter instead of showcasing only one word (e.g. Dig) or short phrases (e.g. Lawn Ornaments); and,
2. I would've liked to see a more imaginative page for the letter "E" (she used "Everything").

Overall Thoughts:
The illustrations themselves are truly a wonder!
This book is suitable for:
- younger readers ages preschool to 7-years-old;
- teachers introducing various alphabet book structures; and,
- anyone who loves gardening!

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Azarian knows gardening A-Z and it shows. J for Japanese Garden, L for Lawn Ornaments, X for Xeriscape.* Her woodblock prints are brightly colored and full of details. She shows the interaction between humans, insects, plants, and animals so well. Highly recommended.

*It's hard not to judge alphabet books by their X, because it is a difficult letter, but this choice wins it all for me.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice alphabet book for those who love gardens. Even though I adore some woodcut styles, I can't say I really warmed to the style here though I admire Azarian's work. The book consists of a nice author's note about her experiences gardening and then the picture book proper has just one word for each letter of the alphabet and a full page of related artwork. I enjoyed the variety of words associated with various aspects of gardening (and that she didn't have to cheat on "X") and found myself chuckling over the "Z" ;-) A giant Zucchini--and I mean GIANT, two people struggle under its weight while a cat and dog look on in amusement!

[Bethany Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for the younger students. Probably Pre-school and kindergarten. The illustrations are beautiful and very colorful. There is so much to look at in one picture. I really like how each letter represents something that is either in a garden or outside. After reading this book, students will be able to recognize these items and places that are around them. Also, by reading this book to your class, you can elaborate on some words, for example, when you read the letter "L" it says, "Lawn Ornaments" you can ask the class if they have ever seen any lawn ornaments in someones yard, or if they have any in there yard. This book has a lot of different teaching moments!

[KidsFiction Teton County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

J Picture Azarian
A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian`
The alphabet, and plant life are explored in this simple, but beautiful book. Each page provides thought-provoking art as well as gardening vocabulary words. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of preschool and elementary school age children. (Suzy)

This book would be a great gift for teachers, as well as preschool children. Gardeners, and art lovers would appreciate the block prints.

[Alex Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous alphabet book. The details and colors really are intriguing. The book focuses around gardening. It opens up with a letter, a memoir of a grandmother and the author. They used to spend time gardening together. The pictures reflect this time as the pages show us the abc's of gardening. "F" "fountain" or "S" "seeds." I love the illustrations and the concept of this book!

[Emelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty, full color block prints of gardening scenes, set to the alphabet.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word alphabet describes exactly what you need for a lovely garden. Beautiful illustrations!

[Liz P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library for my 4-year-old to get ready for spring. It's a great way to teach the alphabet while learning general terms about gardening. The pictures are great as well!

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woodcut alphabet is a classic ABC book in that each page has a word for each letter. The alphabet is as follows:
Arbor
Bulbs
Compost
Dig
Everything
Fountain
Greenhouse
Harvest
Insects
Japanese garden
Kitchen garden
Lawn ornaments
Manure
Nibble
Ornamental grasses
Prune
Queen Anne's Lace
Rest
Seeds
Topiary
Underground
Vegetables
Weed
Xeriscape
Yard
Zucchini

I don't think it's the best introduction to gardening for preschoolers, but I imagine it would be most enjoyed by adults or children who already have some experience with gardening.

[Becker Children · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book better than The Farmer's Alphabet, also by Mary Azarian, because I like color and I like gardening, and it is still a great alphabet book, but we definitely prefer The Farmer's Alphabet. Somehow the woodcut illustrations seem more interesting or authentic in black and white, and the objects/actions representing each letter of the alphabet are more natural or apparent in Farmer's Alphabet than Gardener's Alphabet. Some in Gardener's Alphabet were a bit of a stretch, or just not as easy for my pre-literate kiddos to remember and chime out as Farmer's Alphabet.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous woodcut illustrations add to the sense of humanity, as author Mary Azarian brings alive this doubly educational book.

* Yes, it's an alphabet book. Bringing life to the basic building blocks of the English language.
* Yes, the words and accompanying illustrations are all about the joys of gardening.

What a richly meaningful way for a gardening grownup to help a potential gardener learn to find language for the tasks -- and wonders -- of gardening.

FIVE STARS. I can almost smell the soil.

Helping children find their way in, for any worthwhile activity or art form or hobby... To this mother, that's one of the very most fulfilling aspects of parenting.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful woodcuts hand tinted with watercolors are provided for each letter of the alphabet and all the terms relate to gardening. One will see everything from zucchini, ornamental grasses, manure, and greenhouse in this gardening ABC. Woodcuts are one of my favorite types of illustrations and I love gardening so this title is spectacular in my eyes.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated scenes from the garden with a single word for each letter of the alphabet make up this picture book. This will make a fun exploration of the garden for a story time or as a coffee table book for the gardener.

[Themountainbookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book a little unimaginative. I mean e is for everything 🙄. The illustrations a pretty and classic.

[Carrie Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this artist! As a gardener, I should've guessed what z would be. Made me lol!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very simple, but it’s also very unique. It has a really cool art style for its illustrations.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely book. The illustrations are beautifully done, the vocabulary is carefully chosen - and the illustrations make very clear the meaning of unusual words like "xeriscape", but there's not much you can do for x anyway.

But, it's true. Every person in this book is white, and it really is a little weird. I don't live anywhere where I can consistently expect the people I meet to be white, so it would never occur to me to draw a whole book full of people of just that one race. I wonder where the author lives that it wouldn't occur to her to draw a more normal sample of the population.

It's not a bad book, it's just - that sort of thing is very obvious, and kinda annoying.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

On every page of this alphabet book there is a picture that corresponds with a letter. All of the words and pictures relate to gardening.

Teaching ideas:
This book can be correlated with science class. Since, the book explains the meaning of words that corresponds with gardening terms the students can plant their own small plant and watch it grow because of their new knowledge of gardening.

Divide the students into small groups and have them create another ABC book over a whole other topic. New vocabulary words can emerge from having them complete this assignment. Have the groups share them in class and have them laminated to put in the class library.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the fact that the book is promoting gardening, because I feel that it is something we should be doing more of as a society (the fruits and vegetables mostly). As an alphabet book, however, this book falls short. A couple of the words stretch the typical definition of garden, many of them are not familiar to children, and other than being the first letter in each word they aren't highlighted in any way.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

J Picture Azarian
A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian`
The alphabet, and plant life are explored in this simple, but beautiful book. Each page provides thought-provoking art as well as gardening vocabulary words. I would reccomend this book to parents and teachers of preschool and elementary school age children.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations-- think Mary Engelbreit in colored woodcuts-- of a simple alphabet book which hits every letter square on and gives you lots of details to share with your child, such as the different gardening implements in "Everything" and the different plants in "Underground".

It was a little young for my 7-year old son, but he did let me finish it.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade Levels: P-1
* A cute tale that integrates ELA and science by teaching young readers the alphabet and letter recognition while introducing them to science content (e.g. types of insects and plants, the process of how plants grow, habitats/environments of some insects)

[Jen]

(2005) A beautiful alphabet book from Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian. The book features Azarian's woodcut illustrations that highlight all things gardening including T for topiary, C for compost, and I for insects. This is a great book to introduce garden vocabulary.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to garden, and I love children books. I came across this book in teaching preschoolers. I think I will someday buy this book because it makes a great coffee table book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

PBC

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4 month old loves looking at the pictures in this book while I read the word on each page and make up a small story about each.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple and engaging book using gardening to teach the alphabet! I love it! The book is filled with fascinating words choices, home grown images, and a tender, family friendly text.

[CFAITC]

Using her unique artwork, Azarian shares with the viewer her love of gardens, both vegetable and flower.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow