The Weedy Garden: A Happy Habitat for Wild Friends

A bumblebee, snake, squirrel, speckled toad, and more take up space in the “weedy garden” celebrated in this elegant picture book from sibling team the Renkls. Poetic, frequently alliterative second-person lines offer concise lyrical profiles: “If you’re a green hummingbird glinting and gleaming... you dance at the first glad glimpse of trumpet vine.” Immersive full-bleed spreads lend a diorama-like feel to jam-packed digital scenes that display vintage-looking species cut-outs and emphasize fauna’s natural camouflage. A goldfinch plays “hide-and-seek among the black-eyed Susans,” an earthworm tunnels “between the weedy roots,” and flowers keep a cottontail rabbit’s presence secret (“You push back leaves, nudge tufts of soft fur. While the hawk sleeps, you nestle your babies”). As more and more beings enjoy their treats (“Strawberries!”), a friendly message of creaturely community is conveyed to a final presented species—a pale-skinned human “child sitting still in the clover.” Back matter includes more about the highlighted animals. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)