Behold Our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh from a School Garden
by Allan Wolf (Goodreads Author), Daniel Duncan (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

This collection of children’s poems is all about school gardens that are shared with a group of student volunteers. Each poem is written in a different style. Some are meant to be chanted or rapped like music. Some are full of puns. Some of the poems describe real events, like the time all the school garden tools were stolen from the shed, but the entire community donated new tools for the students!

The students keep notes about the progress of their garden. The poems describe insects and birds that visit the garden. There is even a poem that imagines what a carrot seed must feel like, growing quietly underground. We learn about different types of plants, including trees, flowers, and vegetables. We learn about pollination and weather.

At the end of the book, the author explains about the different types of poetry in the book, giving suggestions for how they can be read aloud by several readers taking turns. One poem is meant to be used as a jump-rope rhyme! The author explains about onomatopoeia, patterns in syllables and stanzas, and the difference between traditional poetry and free verse. I really loved that this section is included in the book, so that the reader gets to learn more about poetry and about the original intentions of the author.

I loved all these poems! I am very picky about poetry, but I was delighted with each poem in this book. They are fun and light-hearted! The rhymes and rhythm are well-written. I enjoyed the subject material, and I found them whimsical and wholesome.

I loved the illustrations in this book! The cartoony designs for the characters are so cute, and the art work of the garden is absolutely beautiful. The gardens look so peaceful, like a place that you can rest and relax. But they also look like a place to explore and have little adventures! Every page is a delight, since you can look for pretty details in the background and find little animals and butterflies among the plants.

This book would definitely inspire children to start their own garden, and inspire a love of good poetry!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.