Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The children who lead the adventure are new, but the format follows that of the other titles in the series that began with In the Woods: Who's Been Here? (1995): two children explore a natural place and wonder about the animals that have passed through. Here, the natural world is a backyard garden, where siblings Christina and Jeremy collect vegetables. As they find signs of animal interlopers in the chewed leaves and missing corn kernels, they wonder, Who's been here? George provides the answers on interspersed spreads that feature beautiful close-ups of the animal culprits, nibbling away. Young children will be easily drawn in by the detailed, realistic watercolor-and-ink illustrations of the plants and animals (the rendering of the children is slightly more awkward) and by the smooth text and its rhythmic refrain. A final page features postage-stamp-size images of each animal, accompanied by paragraphs offering more basic information. A fine introduction to common critters and the origins of common foods. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-On a summer morning, Mother asks Christina and Jeremy to pick some vegetables from the garden. As the story progresses, readers learn that the garden has been invaded by a rabbit hopping by, a chipmunk eating sunflower seeds, a slug leaving a telltale trail of slime, and a crow pecking at some kernels of corn. There's a relaxed attitude to all this; it's not overtly stated but certainly implied that these visitors are welcome and part of the cycle of nature. The narrative ends happily with Mom offering a plate of cookies and a pitcher of milk, so even the humans get some nourishment. There is a distinct pattern to the straightforward text and to the book's design as well (pages with white space alternate with colorful spreads). While the illustrations don't have the depth of the finest nature paintings, and the renditions of people look a bit stiff, they are attractive and accessible. Not an essential purchase, but a worthwhile one.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Sent to the garden to pick vegetables, Christina and her brother Jeremy discover evidence of insects and animals: nibbled leaves, holes in the ground, etc. The question ""Who's been here?"" is answered across the page turn with a spread of the creature in question, portrayed in realistic watercolor and ink. A final page gives more detailed descriptions for backyard animal detectives. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
George sends two young children into a garden for her latest entry in the beautifully illustrated Who's Been Here? series. As Christina and Jeremy gather veggies for dinner, they point out chewed leaves, gaps in the rows and other signs that they haven't been the garden's only visitors. The author reveals the identity of those early diners--a chipmunk, a tomato hornworm, a crow and others--with close-up, finely detailed portraits on alternating wordless spreads. Meanwhile, other small animals, from a garter snake to a bumblebee, put in cameos amid glimpses of gracefully ruffled flowers and nets of greenery. As before, George offers surer depictions of flora and of fauna than of people, and here her closing notes make each highlighted creature seem more like an unwelcome invader than part of the natural setting--still, children working on sharpening their powers of observation won't want to miss this outing. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
