Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever - Hardcover

Spiro, Ruth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399186301 ISBN 13: 9780399186301

Publisher: Dial Books, 2021

Synopsis

Best friends Maxine and Leo combine their maker and artistic skills to create (and save!) the ultimate garden in this empowering, STEM-focused picture book

After sketching and plotting and planting, Maxine and Leo know they've made The Greatest Garden Ever! But they're not the only ones who think so. Soon, all sorts of animals make their way in, munching on carrots and knocking over pots. When Leo and Maxine can't agree on a way to deter these unwelcome critters, it looks like there's more on the line than saving their garden--they just might need to save their friendship too.

About this title

About the Author

Ruth Spiro is the author of the popular Baby Loves Science series. She lives with her family in Chicago.

Holly Hatam is an illustrator and graphic designer whose work includes the #1 New York Times best seller Dear Girl by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-Maxine, who is white, and her fish Milton are close; he is often the inspiration to her maker creations. "If I can dream it, I can build it," she always says. Maxine also has a close friend in a boy, Leo, but the two think differently, for he is an artist. The digital illustrations show small detailed and colorful vignettes of Maxine, her family, and friends in full invention mode-Maxine's braided pigtails and color-streaked bangs surround a face requiring only minimal ink to show her clearly joyous in the effort. Leo's dark skin and curly hair frame eyes that delight in his projects. Each has a strong personal view and a bit of attitude as they express themselves through their approaches. There are setbacks: Leo's design is artistically pretty, while Maxine's is blueprint-detailed and practical. There are pests invading the garden, and the two fight, but they quickly learn that for "it takes a long time to grow a garden, but even longer to grow a friend." In the end, they have decided to work with nature, rather than against it, by feeding the animals themselves. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for libraries and classroom, this title allows young readers to view changing relationships through strong-willed characters who learn how to work together.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399186301
• ISBN 13: 9780399186301
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Hatam Holly
• Number of pages: 40