PEARL'S FIRST PRIZE PLANT

by A. Delaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 1997

In fewer than 200 words, Delaney (The Gunnywolf, 1992, not reviewed, etc.) constructs a small, endearing drama around the idea that biggest isn't always best. Pearl, a bespectacled, straggly-haired farm girl, raises a tiny plant in a pot. When its single white flower opens, Pearl marches off to the county fair to enter it in the flower show. After one look at the dozens of spectacular entries in the show tent, Pearl turns on her heel, nose in air, and marches back home to plant her beloved flower under her favorite tree, where she awards it a prize ribbon that she made herself. The plot is ever so slight, but there's a lot going on in the pictures: Pearl's activities as a comically devoted horticulturalist; fields plowed, planted, maturing, and harvested; robins nesting and raising their young; the tents and amusement rides of the county fair constructed and dismantled in the background. The last spreads show hay being baled, the spring lambs grown fat and fluffy, the robins fledged, monarchs migrating, Pearl's plant with two flowers, and her pig with a boyfriend. This is a great book to have on hand for young gardeners who may not achieve results that match the pictures on the seed packets.

Pub Date: May 11, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997

Categories: CHILDREN'S