Jack’s Garden

Submitted by Ms. Jill!
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole is one of my all-time favorite books to read in the springtime, and it always inspires me to get outside and plant something! The cumulative text builds up, page by page, like the traditional story of “The House that Jack Built.” And page by page, beautiful drawings show the progress of a young boy’s garden throughout the growing season. Beginning with the title page, on which Jack and his father are shown laying out the garden beds, richly detailed drawings depict each stage in the garden’s growth. We see the soil that makes up the garden, the seeds, the rain, and the first tiny seedlings. The seedlings grow into plants, which sprout buds, which blossom into glorious flowers. Insects come to sip nectar, in turn attracting birds and other wildlife. By the end of the book, a simple plot of dirt is transformed into an extravagant garden and backyard habitat. Young readers will especially enjoy the details in the borders of the illustrations: garden tools, insects, birds, and bird eggs are all carefully drawn and labeled. (Fun fact: Ms. Jill got to meet the author in person, and he signed her copy of this book! He’s a very nice man.) See this book listed in our catalog