Burns and Apperley’s garden is a happy and busy place. In the spring, rabbits hop about, apple trees are in bloom, tulips pop out of the ground, seedlings start to sprout. Summer brings more flowers and a host of cartoony butterflies, bees, spiders, and a vegetable garden that is becoming copious. A final pop-up page shows a vegetable garden, flower garden, and insects in profusion. Onlookers can pull tabs to make beans climb the pole or turn a wheel to make butterflies and bees circle a magenta bloom, even though the engineering feels a little fragile. The book provides a real sense of activity, change, and growth as the seasons progress and the gardens mature. Snippets of botany, appearing in textual asides, can be highlighted or ignored, depending on audience age and interest. (Picture book. 3-6)
