BUSY IN THE GARDEN

Shannon and Williams produce a joyful celebration of gardening, vegetables and silliness. Each page or spread features one poem about planting, harvesting or eating the crop. Some are direct: “To grow the size / that wins a prize, / it’s always wise / to fertilize.” Some are playful and silly: “Zucchini” begins with “Zucchini / meeny / miney / moe” and progresses through so many zucchini delicacies that it ends with “Zucchini / meeny / miney / MOAN.” Consider this riddle: “Mama planted summer hats. / Papa planted thread. / Sister planted ink stamps. / Brother planted bread.” The answer, printed upside down, is “straw, cotton, potato, wheat.” The rhythms scan satisfyingly. Cheerful, airy pictures in watercolor and black line show vegetables of all sizes (sometimes growing or harvested, sometimes dancing!) and small children reminiscent of A Hole Is to Dig. Get ready to reap some new young gardeners who will relish their veggies. (Picture book. 2-5)