The Garden

PreS-Gr 1—Kevin Roth—singer, songwriter, and innovative dulcimer player—reads his own story in a mellow, expressive, deep voice accompanied by soft dulcimer picking. Illustrated by Maggie Anthony, Grandma Bunny and Wabby are appealingly cute rabbits with buck teeth and long floppy ears. Grandma Bunny helps Wabby plant some watermelon seeds. As she is tucking him into bed, she tells him that while he is sleeping his plants will grow big and strong. Wabby misunderstands, expecting his plants to spring up overnight. He goes to the garden, covers them with a blanket, and tells them a bedtime story. The next morning, Grandma finds him in the garden and sets him straight, explaining that the plants need time to grow. Roth sings a short, folksy tune explaining that everything needs time to grow and good things are worth waiting for. After breakfast, Wabby takes some of his pancakes out to the garden to help his watermelons grow, while Grandma chuckles. Two more songs follow the story: "The Quiet Times" and the traditional "Mr. Rabbit," both accompanied by dulcimer, guitar, woodwinds and bass. A lovely addition to preschool collections.—Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX