My Garden

A young girl describes her own ideal garden in this paean to childhood imagination, envisioning a fantastic space with no weeds, chocolate bunnies that the girl can eat (rather than flesh-and-blood bunnies who eat the plants), flowers that automatically grow again, when picked, and soil in which anything that is planted - sea shells, jelly beans - will yield a crop. The colorful ink and watercolor illustrations have a simple, folksy feeling that accentuates the "simple" pleasures of a garden, while also capturing the magical elements of the tale, from the sunflowers that change color, to the heavily-laden jelly bean tree.

Like so many of Kevin Henkes other "non-mouse" picture-books that I have read - most recently, Old Bear - I found show more that I enjoyed My Garden, but did not think it outstanding. I certainly liked the idea of it (not to mention getting a kick out of the jelly-bean tree, as that's something I might have wished for myself, as a young girl), but somehow the end result was not as enchanting as one might expect, given the immense talents of this author/artist. I'm not one to say that artists shouldn't try new styles, and I certainly haven't disliked any of his recent work (which includes the Caldecott Medal-winning Kitten's First Full Moon), but I think in my heart of hearts I will always prefer Henkes' earlier "mouse" stories, both from an artistic and storytelling perspective. show less

In my opinion, My Garden, is a wonderful children’s fictional fantasy book. The illustrations and the language within the story allow this book to send a clear message to its readers that exploring the world around them enables ones imagination to develop an immense amount of creativity.

The illustrations in this book are quite unique. I noticed that the illustrations on the first and last two pages are within a circle. As the girl speaks about her mother’s garden and what she does in her mother’s garden are the only times you will see the illustrations in a circle. However, after you turn the first page the illustrations cover the entire page as the girl begins to describe her very own garden. The colors of the illustrations show more remind me of spring; they are pastel like and soft. They are also very rich in detail. I especially love the illustration that shows the girl picking jelly beans off of her jelly bean bush and collects them in her gardening hat. The jelly beans are all sorts of colors, and the main focus on the page.

I also enjoyed the language in the book. It was very clear and descriptive. I also have to add that the language helped support the illustrations throughout the story. The language enables the readers to put themselves in the mind of the little girl and think creatively. An example in the book that supports my opinion is: “In my garden, the rabbits wouldn’t eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them.” Such a sweet imagination this character has! show less

A young girl helps her mother in the garden, and then begins to imagine all of the fanciful plants she would like to have in her own garden (jellybean plants!). A whimsical story that will kep the kids laughing with each idea crazier than the next.

I was impressed with how this book is set up. One page has the illustration, while the accompanying page is white with black lettering for the story. Each illustrated page encompasses the entire illustration and shows a lot of detail. The little girl in the story has quite an imagination when she thinks about what her garden would be and look like compared to her mother's. It shows what a great imagination can do and that this is a good way for children to think.

My Garden is delightfully illustrated almost like childrens crayola drawings. This book is intended for 1+ to 6+yr. old. The main character loves to work in the garden with her mom and it's here where her imagination takes over. She is growing chocolate bunnies and invisible carrots (she doesn't like carrots) and many other childrens favorites. great read aloud and journal or big book writing activity.

I didn't find the illustrations in this book very pleasing... but someone who likes things to feel soft and gentle on the eyes... peaceful, will like this book. I think I am just more of a "give me flamboyance and vibrant color" kind of gal. However, I think this story is an excellent example of how children really think... what they wish for. I was floored when I read this story because I remember, in 2007, a story a student of mine wrote. I remember how she described every aspect of her - GARDEN! She wrote about the candy cane picket fence, the lolly-pop flowers blooming... candy this & that. I would love to track her down to give her a copy of this book.

Summary: A little girl loves to help her mother in the garden, but daydreams about how different things would be if she had her own garden. She would have jelly bean bushes, and invisible carrots, and the only rabbits in her garden would be chocolate ones.

Review: This is a very imaginative book; I love how Kevin Henkes has captured the imaginative mind of a child and portrays her ideas beautifully through his illustrations. I think that my favorite part of the book is the final page. Earlier in the book, the little girl talks about how she would plant seashells and grow more seashells, and then she plants one of her seashells in her mother's garden. The final page of the book is a small illustration of a seashell, planted in the ground, show more sprouting a root. I think that it is a wonderful way of giving hope to a child that their imagined fantasies can come true. It is a wonderful encouragement to keep dreaming.

Central Idea of My Garden: Never stop dreaming. show less