Behold Our Magical Garden - by Allan Wolf (Hardcover)

About the Book

"There's a lot more to gardens than meets the eye! In this collection of buoyant poems filled with fun facts, young nature enthusiasts and budding gardeners are called on to help solve a mystery by the compost bin, joina Wild West-style standoff between some good bugs and a few bad ones, interview the sun to find out what happens when it drinks a glass of water, and learn the fancy names of plants to spice up dinner conversation. They'll be spurred to grab their own gardening tools, drop in some seeds, encounter a few insects, gather fresh vegetables, and find a whole lot of magic. Allan Wolf's playful poems and Daniel Duncan's whimsically detailed, welcoming illustrations combine in a charming celebration of the many wonders and lessons to be learned from a school garden. For further inspiration, engaging notes on the poems and an author's note on jotting down observations can be found in the back matter"--

Book Synopsis

Witty and inspiring, Allan Wolf's upbeat poems are poised to cultivate a new crop of gardeners, aided by Daniel Duncan's bountiful illustrations.

In our garden, can you see?
A grand adventure? And it's free!
A green delicious fantasy?
Behold our magical garden.

There's a lot more to gardens than meets the eye! In this collection of buoyant poems filled with fun facts, young nature enthusiasts and budding gardeners are called on to help solve a mystery by the compost bin, join a Wild West-style standoff between some good bugs and a few bad ones, interview the sun to find out what happens when it drinks a glass of water, and learn the fancy names of plants to spice up dinner conversation. They'll be spurred to grab their own gardening tools, drop in some seeds, encounter a few insects, gather fresh vegetables, and find a whole lot of magic. Allan Wolf's playful poems and Daniel Duncan's whimsically detailed, welcoming illustrations combine in a charming celebration of the many wonders and lessons to be learned from a school garden. For further inspiration, engaging notes on the poems and an author's note on jotting down observations can be found in the back matter.

Review Quotes

A school garden flourishes with the help of enthusiastic students in this idyllic poetry collection. . . . an ­enjoyable read, and one that will likely inspire young readers to grow their own gardens.
--School Library Journal

From the poetic mind of Allan Wolf comes a vast collection of poems fresh from the garden. Illustrated by Daniel Duncan, readers will go on a journey from germination to compost, learning along the way.
--Tiny Beans

Well tuned to cultivate a deeper appreciation for both poetry and the pleasures and rewards of planting.
--Kirkus Reviews

A bevy of delightful poems on every imaginable aspect of school gardening. . . The illustrator obviously absorbed each poem, because the pictures range from humorous to accurate biological renderings to lovely. Wolf has provided a teaching suggestion for each of the poems at the end of the book.
--Denton Record-Chronicle

This story-in-verse of a school garden from beginning to delicious end captures the joy of growth and creation.
--The Virginian Pilot

About the Author

Allan Wolf is the author of many award-winning books for children and teens, including No Buddy Like a Book, The Day the Universe Exploded My Head, The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts, and The Blanket Where Violet Sits. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

Daniel Duncan is the author-illustrator of the picture book South and the illustrator of The Purple Puffy Coat by Maribeth Boelts and Mr. Posey's New Glasses by Ted Kooser. Daniel Duncan lives outside London.