I Have a Garden

PreS-Gr 2—Barner's amusing artwork done in paper collage, gouache, pastel, and pencil radiates off the pages as a playful pup shares the wonders of his garden and all of the living things that reside in it. The clear vocabulary and engaging drawings provide the earliest readers with a delightful story. Barner's use of perspective is precise, and earthy tones warm each page. Sam will strike home with little brothers and sisters everywhere who always get left out when the "big kids" are playing. Sam's big sister and her friend are having a tea party, and he wants to play, too. His sister tells him to go away, but Sam keeps trying to join in the fun. To escape him, the girls hide in a cave, build a fort, and then finally row a boat to an island. When it drifts away, it is Sam who notices that they are stranded and gets help. Full spreads of expressive bears fill up the space nicely as the lucid text balances well with warm hues in the pen-and-ink drawings. Simple sentences, repetition, and a large font assure success for children just learning to read. This leveled series supports core standards, helping beginning readers understand characters, setting, and plot while building reading fluency. Superb choices for the very earliest readers.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI