The children’s picture book Grandpa’s Garden by Stella Fry and illustrated by Sheila Moxley (Barefoot Books, 2012) follows a child helping his grandpa in, as the title indicates, caring for his garden. They plant the vegetables and fertilize them with compost. The boy waters the growing plants and waits to see the sprouts. Together, grandpa and boy enjoyed toasting their potatoes over a fire as fall arrives.
The oil pastels are bright. I really liked how Ms Moxley showed the roots of the plants growing in the pictures too. After the story ends, the author has included a few pages of information on how to nurture a garden through all the seasons, a good way to plot a vegetable garden, and other useful information for the want-to-be gardeners.
I admit, it’s a little strange to read spring and summer books when the season is so quickly passing into full-blown autumn, and the hint of snow is in the air. But picking up spring-themed books to consider for the Cybils 2012 award was refreshing right now: a nice reminder that yes, we will make it to spring again! The green and life will will return to the plants around me in time.
