Whose Garden Is It?

While Mrs. McGee and her toddler are out walking, they come across a beautiful garden and the woman wonders aloud, "How splendid! How pleasant! How simply exquisite!/This garden is perfect-/But whose garden is it?" There are many answers. A rabbit, a woodchuck, birds, worms, bugs, and a mole all claim it as theirs. Even the rain and the earth call the garden their own. A honeybee states, "I pollinate flowers. It's easy to see/This garden would not even be without me!" After the woman and her child listen to the numerous rhyming declarations, they leave, still wondering about the answer. The evocative pictures complement the excellent text, which leads children to look more closely at nature. Does it belong to the farmer? Or the bees who pollinate the flowers? Every inhabitant makes the case for ownership in this clever, versified peek at an ecosystem. Delicate watercolors, mostly realistic but with touches of fantasy (a mole wearing overalls and pince-nez, for example), introduce children to a wide variety of garden flora and fauna as well as the important role each plays. (Ages 4 to 6) 6 minutes Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004