My Busy Green Garden

In this addition to the Tilbury House Nature Book series, Pierce (Blackberry Bouquet) uses a “House That Jack Built”–style rhyme to introduce a succession of garden-dwelling creatures while teasing out the mystery of the “surprise/ in clever disguise,/ that hangs in my busy green garden.” By book’s end, the surprise, a cocoon, opens to reveal a large, bright yellow butterfly. Other garden residents include “an inchworm who creeps up and down,/ dodging the hummingbird fluttering ’round,” and “a mantis awaiting his prey.” Schwartz (How Strong Is an Ant?) works in a lush, detailed style that takes occasional liberties with scale (the mantis, in the foreground, appears significantly larger than a nearby hummingbird and chipmunk) but creates a strong sense of an environment abuzz with activity. A closing section provides detailed descriptions of each animal. Ages 4–6. (Jan.)