A review by backonthealex
In a Garden by Tim McCanna

4.0

The gentle rhyming text in this book celebrates the diversity of life in a community garden throughout the year, beginning in spring "In the earth / a single seed / sits beside a millipede." through summer "Blooms of every shape and size / call to bees and butterflies," to autumn, winter and finally back to spring, when "Time goes by / and by / and then... / life returns / to start / again." McCanna shows young readers that there is so much activity in a garden, bugs and insects, their activity often unseen and unnoticed, are as busily at work as the children and adults. Flowers, insects and bugs are all named within the rhyme. My young readers and I were luckily enough to read this before we had to shelter at home, and they loved exploring each page and talking about everything there is to see. For example, one two page spread shows a mama bird bringing a tasty worm to her newly hatched babies in their nest, a squirrel running down the tree, a bird enjoying some green growing treats, and a butterfly going about her business all unnoticed by a little girl walking her dog. The seasonal illustrations are done in watercolor, ink, charcoal and Photoshop and the people are as diverse as the depicted vegetables, flowers and creatures. This book was rated A+ by my young readers.