MY FIRST GARDEN
by Wendy Lewison & illustrated by Miki Sakamoto
“Mommy and I made a garden!...Can you guess what will grow?” A too-clever-by-half design gives this book a die-cut handle with cut-outs that reveal an ever-filling basket of produce, from green cabbage and purple turnips to orange carrots, yellow squash and red tomatoes—culminating in “vegetable soup for lunch!” An entry in the “Little Green Books” line of eco-friendly products, this proudly proclaims its provenance “from 100% recycled material.” Unfortunately, the brown recycled stock makes a poor background for a color-concept book, and the resultant hues look murky and often do not provide enough contrast to tell colors apart, particularly when laid on top of one another by the die-cut patterns. While it’s nice to see Asian-American characters, this well-meaning offering misses the mark. (1-2)