You know how musicians have phases? They dabble in a certain sound or style for a while, then later an album comes out titled â€œThe (Insert Title Here) Sessionsâ€? My Garden is out of the Old Bear Sessions. But thatâ€™s all a fantasy, right? The little girl decides to plant a seashell anyway, just to see what happens A garden where sunflowers come in patterns, seashells grow, and carrots are invisible (our heroine doesnâ€™t like carrots, you see).

But, given the chance, she would grow a garden that is truly unique. A simple story set to imagination-triggering imagery.Ī straw hat-wearing girl loves to help her mother in the garden, watering plants and chasing away rabbits. It subtly pulls young readers in, and keeps them there. Kevin Henkes knows tone well, and My Garden is the proof. If an author slips up in this area, a book can come across as confusing, or worse, condescending. “This intimate exploration of a child’s burgeoning imagination hits every note right…Just plain perfect.Tone. “Imagination grows and spreads from the fertile pages of this book to the minds of young readers…A must for every library.” - School Library Journal (starred review) “Henkes gives the young storyteller a matter-of-fact voice and a sly sense of humor, while dewy watercolors and ink picture her reveling in a magical world of plants, birds, and butterflies.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “With its adroit look at a child’s colorful imagination, My Garden is as fresh and inviting as spring after winter.” - Horn Book (starred review) “Even as the story elevates the wonders of nature into the realm of the fanciful, it reminds readers to appreciate everyday flowers and soil.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Critical Praise A must for every library.” - School Library Journal (starred review) “Imagination grows and spreads from the fertile pages of this book to the minds of young readers. “With its adroit look at a child’s colorful imagination, My Garden is as fresh and inviting as spring after winter.” - The Horn Book (starred review) Just plain perfect.” - Kirkus (starred review)

“This intimate exploration of a child’s burgeoning imagination hits every note right. How does your garden grow? A wondrous New York Times bestselling picture book from Caldecott medalist Kevin Henkes.Ī girl helps out in her mother’s garden, but in the garden of her imagination, there are chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells.

My garden by kevin henkes