Badger's Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold

Title: Badger's Perfect Garden
Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date: March 15, 2019
Pages: 32
Source/format: ARC // The Horn Book

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

It's springtime and Badger is ready to plant the perfect garden. He has spent months gathering and sorting seeds. It's been a lot of work but it's worth it. His friends Red Squirrel, Dormouse, and Weasel come to help. They weed. They rake. And finally they plant. Afterward, everyone celebrates, and Badger can already imagine the perfect rows of flowers and vegetables. But then a rainstorm comes and washes away the beautiful seeds. Badger's perfect garden is ruined. Or is it? Author Marsha Diane Arnold's gentle story will encourage young readers to think beyond plans and expectations and imagine the wonderful possibilities that may occur when life and nature have other ideas.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Badger has hundreds of seeds saved in jars and wants to plant the perfect garden. With the help of Red Squirrel, Dormouse and Weasel, Badger had the start of a garden. However, for days it rained and Badger became worried about the garden. The seeds have washed and blown away and Badger couldn't be consoled no matter what he did to keep him occupied. One day his friends let him know that the garden did flourish but at another location away from where they planted the seeds. This hodgepodge of seeds grew to a celebration variety of flowers. All the critters cheered for joy.

The picture book is wonderfully illustrated with finely detailed textures of wood grains and animal fur. Ramona Kaulitzki's brushstrokes create a sense of movement. The colors are muted yet atmospheric; readers feel the emotion from the colors of the palette. Kaulitzki carefully chooses when and where to use pops of color to add life to the pages.

The morals of the story are meaningful. Marsha Diane Arnold sets the tone for children to learn to work together to achieve a goal. Even though everything isn't perfect step by step, sometimes the end goal can be more rewarding. Readers learn that teamwork is important and how being there physically and emotionally when someone is upset is helpful.