Magical Words

Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly on the Families page.

“Jack’s Garden” by Henry Cole - Wonderful colored pencil illustrations by Cole tell nearly the whole story in this informative look at the gardening process. A cumulative “House that Jack Built” style rhyme is a good enough excuse for the fascinating pictures. We begin with a spread showing a patch of dirt. “This is the garden that Jack planted.” Tools in the picture and the margin are labeled. The next spread shows what goes on underground. Slug eggs, earthworms and ground beetles are identified. As the garden grows, each phase is depicted clearly and attractively. On a page about rain, different types of clouds are shown and labeled. On other pages are seed packets, birds and birds’ eggs and all types of insects. Once the garden is in bloom, children get an education on flowers. A great book to welcome the season. (Greenwillow, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $15.)

“In My Mother’s Garden” by Melissa Madenski This is another apt book for the season. Rosie and her mother love to garden together, and the youngster, who is perhaps 5, plans a special birthday surprise. With the help of her neighbor Joe, she buys a dozen pansy plants, her mother’s favorite flower, and finds a hidden spot to plant them. On the morning of her birthday, Rosie’s mother has a surprise. The pastel drawings by Sandra Speidel are lovely with all the brightness of a spring garden. Rosie, with her baseball cap turned sideways, looks like a real kid.

The idea behind the story is a nice one, but unfortunately, the wordiness of the text lets the rest of the package down. It was a chore to read aloud. A more gracefully written story with a similar theme is last spring’s “Flower Garden” by Eve Bunting, with wonderful illustrations by Kathryn Hewitt. That book depicted a young African-American girl and her father making her mother a birthday present of a window-box garden for their city apartment. (“In My Mother’s Garden,” Little, Brown, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $15.95; “Flower Garden,” Harcourt Brace, $13.95.)

“April Showers” by George Shannon In rap-like verse a group of goofy-looking frogs stage a spring dance: “When the clouds roll in and the rain comes down, the frogs in the garden hop around and shout: Ladies and gentlemen. Children, too. We’ve just got to do a dance for you.” As the seemingly oblivious frogs cavort, sharp-eyed children will notice a vermillion-eyed snake slithering onto the scene. The situation turns scary for a moment, but at the end we discover a delightfully silly surprise. Sort of an April frog joke. George Shannon, who lives near Seattle, has created a story that’s great to read aloud to groups of children. The illustrations by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey are fun, as well. (Greenwillow, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $15.)

“Easter Parade: Welcome Sweet Springtime” by Steve Englehart Don’t let the cover, which looks like a pastel greeting card, fool you. This is the fascinating story of the history of Easter, and other springtime customs around the world. Englehart writes that Easter was the first Christian festival. “It predates even the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas, and for centuries was the far more popular holiday.” There are 22 chapters in the book, so next year, families can plan to begin on the Sunday three weeks before Easter and read a chapter each day. The early chapters talk about ancient spring rituals, Passover, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, the history of Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny (the latter has to do with springtime and fertility). The last nine chapters tell the story of Jesus’ final days, and are good for counting down Holy Week. (Avon Books, all ages, 49 pgs., $5.99 paper.)

“A Prayer for the Opening of the Little League Season” by Willie Morris “Protect the little infielders from bad bounces and assuage the pain of wounded lips and cheeks when blood mingles with the infield soil; grant them deft shovel dips and 6-4-3 double plays.” Morris, former editor of Harper’s Magazine, has written a tender and humorous prayer/poem to the “great umpire” in the heavens. It’s full of wonderful lines, such as: “Reward the faithful mothers as they transport their children to practice, launder their sullied uniforms, soothe their cuts and bruises …” The book is illustrated with evocative paintings by the prize-winning Barry Moser. It would be a lovely little gift for parents and coaches. This is one of those picture books that is really not for children, who need a good story along with their pretty words. But what pretty words they are. “Above all, grant us boyhood and girlhood, where in time’s soft reverie we are forever children, and where baseball shall dwell with us always.” (Harcourt Brace, all ages, 32 pgs., $15.)

“Passover Magic” by Roni Schotter Finally the major children’s book publishers are beginning to acknowledge that Hanukkah isn’t the only Jewish holiday. Here’s a fine new book that combines a lively story, with information about the beautiful rituals that are part of this important spring holy day. Molly and Ben’s family welcomes a houseful of relatives for the seder, the special passover dinner. The guests include Uncle Harry, who during the week is a dentist. On the weekend he is a magician. He adds his own variety of fun to a day filled with tradition. “Passover Magic” is colorfully illustrated by Marylin Hafner, who teamed with Hafner on “Hanukkah!” which won the National Jewish Book Award. (Little, Brown, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $14.95.)