I Heard It from Alice Zucchini: Poems about the Garden

by Juanita Havill

Book Overview

From the still chill of a winter night to the 'ra-ta-ta, ra-ta-ta, ra-ta-ta-too' of a lively vegetable stew, these twenty whimsical poems celebrate the joys of a garden from start to finish. A tour de... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811839621
• ISBN13: 9780811839624
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (CA)
• Length: 29 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.0" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 6

Customer Reviews

Talking veggies tell poetic tales

If only your garden veggies could talk, what would they say? Poet Juanita Havill explores this intriguing thought in winsome and witty verses arranged in a logical progression from seed time to harvest. Her sprightly imagination shifts from gentle to zany with the turn of a page. Cucumbers and cauliflower, snap beans and radishes and carrots populate this lively garden, each with its own unique voice. The poems range from lyrical to deliciously ludicrous yet create a happily harmonious whole. The adventure begins "in the still chill of a winter night" with seeds in their packets on the gardener's bench, eagerly chattering about "When I Grow Up." They fantasize over who will be the biggest, greenest, tallest ... except for one little seed with a different goal. Spring brings "Instructions" for planting and the gentle wonder that "A miracle is taking place: Seeds split and start to grow." Soon the action takes unexpected twists. "Nursery Rhyme" envisions King and Queen Beetle ensconced in a rhubarb forest. "Pea Pod Chant" evokes a jump-rope rhyme, complete with cue for change of jumpers. "The Pumpkin's Revenge" reveals what happened to Cinderella's coach when the happy princess no longer needed it. Meanwhile, the Alice Zucchini of the title is busy spreading "Garden Gossip" about Max Bean, Jill Celery, and more of her green-growing neighbors. The collection seems to culminate in "Vegetable Stew," which refigures the stew pot as a spicy nightclub in which the ripe vegetables go dancing. But wait! One last page turn reveals that not every veggie has been harvested: a single overlooked potato, "wrapped in brown from head to toe," remains "Buried." Magical ink drawings enriched with layers of watercolor highlight the whimsy of these fresh, fetching poems. Watch for the joyful fairy cavorting on each page. Children from kindergarten through the middle grades will relish this savory smorgasbord of poems.

This book is a joy!!

We bought this book after borrowing it from the public library. We laughed and laughed. My daughter (6 yrs old) is reading and memorizing the poems. She shared it with her class. It is well-written, lovely book. Highly recommended!