Quattlebaum and Bryant follow up their successful Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond (2011) with new lyrics to the same song, while keeping the nature focus.
This time, Jo MacDonald and her cousin Mike make a garden. From digging the earth and planting the seeds, to watering, harvesting and enjoying the “fruits” of their labors, the two care for their garden habitat and the animals that visit it. Readers can tend their own imaginary gardens along with the pair, as the illustrations and text suggest motions to accompany the familiar tune. Careful observers can track the new plants and animals that arrive with each page turn and read more about them in the backmatter, which also includes some garden facts and tips, comprehension questions, activity extension ideas and a list of resources for gardening information specifically geared toward children. Bryant’s watercolors reflect a childlike enthusiasm. While her whole-garden view allows readers to track the animals and plants that accumulate throughout the song, this also makes it difficult to spy the smallest ones. . . . this is likely to be a popular spring and garden story time choice.
— Kirkus Reviews (January 4, 2012)
To the reworking of the familiar song, the author has brought the four seasons of a garden to life. Jo, the redheaded granddaughter of Old MacDonald, and her friend Mike enjoy the outdoors and the work of planting a wildlife-friendly garden. The dirt flies from the shovel “with a dig-dig here, and a dig-dig there,” and the kids flap their arms like a bird’s wings, “with a flit-flit here, and a flit-flit there.” The observant eye will find seven wild creatures enjoying the garden, and careful readers will read the plant labels and find the seven that are featured. Two concluding pages identify the flora and fauna and suggest relevant indoor activities, such as drawing a picture of the sunflower, planting a seed, and naming the four vegetables Jo and Mike planted. Pretty to look at, easy to sing along to, and a nice introduction to wildlife-habitat creation.
— School Library Journal (June 2012)
In the second book of the Jo MacDonald series, Old MacDonald’s granddaughter Jo and her cousin Mike plant and tend a vegetable garden. Adapting the familiar E-I-E-I-O song to the new theme, Quattlebaum’s rhyming verses lend themselves to sing-along sessions. Endearing ink-and-watercolor illustrations show the garden’s progress as Jo and Mike dig, plant, water, and, finally, pick tomatoes and squash. Meanwhile, seven critters arrive to share the garden. Discussing the plants and animals illustrated and suggesting outdoor activities related to gardens, the informative back matter rounds out this amiable picture book.
— Booklist (American Library Assn.) (May 2012)
Yes—Old MacDonald did have a garden! Jo MacDonald, the granddaughter of the old gent in the popular children’s song, introduces kids to garden creatures in my new children’s book Jo MacDonald Had a Garden.
And if he’s an eco-friendly kind of guy, he’s also thinking of the birds and bugs that benefit his vegetable garden and how he might enhance their habitat.
Jo wiggles like an earthworm, flutters like a bird and sings E-I-E-I-O as she helps her grandfather (modeled after my own nature-loving dad). She also shows how to help wildlife through small modifications to a home vegetable or herb garden. For example:
1. Plant a few native plants such as coneflowers to provide nectar for bees and butterflies, seeds for birds and places for beneficial insects to lay eggs.
2. Add a large flat rock on which butterflies can rest.
3. Provide a birdbath.
4. Create a toad home from an old flower pot.
5. Make treats for birds in the winter.
Jo shares these and other related indoor and outdoor activities in the parents’ section in the back of the book. Also, check out Dawn Publication’s downloadable activities.
— National Wildlife Federation Blog (blog.nwf.org) (March 6, 2012)
Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum is a new take on Old MacDonald. Your children will love singing along with this book as you explore how butterflies, bumblebees, and birds help a garden to thrive – and how you can help them too. There is so much fun packed into this book, along with a whole lot of learning. This book is interactive and asks the reader to dig further to learn more! Since my children love helping out with our garden, they loved this book too! In fact, I think they want to be just like Jo MacDonald. And that is a-okay with me!
I think this book would be a perfect addition to your home collection. All children will develop a greater appreciation of healthy food and how it nourishes our bodies when they realize how it grows and where it comes from. Let this book inspire you to plant a few herbs, plants, or a whole garden this Spring!
— Your World Natural – Cara Nitz (February 17, 2012)
For the youngest of gardeners, Jo MacDonald Had a Garden is an adaptation of the children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” In this playful version, two young children dig in the dirt, plant a garden and watch it grow. The beautiful watercolor illustrations show the joy and sense of importance the children feel from being so closely connected to nature. After the story, readers will find information about the plants and animals featured in the illustrations, as well as indoor activities to promote gardening year-round. Hopefully these stories of gardening will inspire a little spring planting of your own.
— Topeka Capital-Journal – Elizabeth Dobler (March 31, 2012)
Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Laura J. Bryant is a slightly new twist on the classic song Old MacDonald Had a Farm. In this cute picture book, a young girl named Jo creates her own garden with the help of some friends. The illustrations are adorable and the text is catchy since it can be read to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
Booking Son and I both enjoyed this book, even though on the surface, it’s probably a little young for him. (The book is geared towards children three to eight years old.) He had fun reading (and singing), but it wasn’t until the end of the book that he really perked up. On the last page of the book, Jo has recreated her garden after the cold winter months. The book asks the reader to find the seven creatures that helped Jo with her garden as well as all seven of the plants in her garden. And then it asks the reader to go back and find the pages where each item initially appeared. Booking Son loved this challenge!
And then came my favorite part of the book — the educational pages. The last page of the book shows all of the animals and plants with explanations of how each one is important in a garden. There are also some fun ideas for indoor activities and some suggestions for how to be a good young gardener. I thought this book was cute, but the educational aspects of it made it even more impressive!
This book is available in both hardcover and paperback and it’s perfect for home or school. There is even an educator’s guide page on the publisher’s website that suggests some great ideas to enhance your reading experience. For example, there are pdfs for seven activities including how to make a school garden for wildlife and how to examine a speck of garden soil.
Booking Son and I both recommend Jo MacDonald Had a Garden especially as the spring approaches!
— Booking Mama – Julie Peterson (February 11, 2012)
If you’ve read Huyen’s glowing review of Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond, my take on a publisher’s review copy of the companion Jo MacDonald Had a Garden will come as no surprise. We really enjoyed this book! In fact, my three-year-old daughter was much more engaged in this than the previous book in the series.
Written by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated with watercolors by Laura J. Bryant, the book follows the style of the children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” but tells the story of Jo MacDonald’s garden through the four seasons. The rhymes flow naturally and never feel forced as Jo gets her hands dirty preparing soil, planting seeds, caring for the garden, and enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of her and her friend’s labor. Extra details include the birds and insects in the garden going through their own cycles – birds laying eggs, etc. My favorite thing about the illustrations is how Jo and the little boy that is working alongside her seem to be dancing along with the song, like wiggling with worms or flapping their arms as if they were birds.
There is an implication that this is happening on or near Old MacDonald’s farm, such as an illustration featuring a bearded gentleman in overalls walking with a horse in the background but otherwise the only animals featured are those inhabiting the garden. In the comments of my review of All Kinds of Kisses, reader Sara MM mentioned that when she reads books with farm animals to her two year old daughter she explains “throughout the story how the animals live on a sanctuary and what that means (in easy to understand form of course),” which I thought was worth sharing.
The garden setting is a little more identifiable than the pond setting for my daughter as we live in the desert and have always had a garden for her to learn in. Speaking of learning in the garden, there are a few pages of information at the end of the book that make it a useful teaching tool. If you enjoyed Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond, you will love this book. If you are wondering whether you need two books following this theme I’ll say we enjoyed seeing what else Jo has been up to. A great reading selection to celebrate spring being just around the corner.
What are you planting this year? We had luck with carrots last year so those will certainly figure into our garden plans. There’s nothing like sharing a small, fresh carrot four ways as a family.
— Vegbooks – Homa Woodrum (February 6, 2012)
With a glow-glow here and a glow-glow there, Jo MacDonald, adults and kids will get grooving, as they sing this remixed favorite. Young readers will also be amazed at what happens within the ecosystem of a garden, as Jo and her friends plant seeds, watch wiggly worms, and enjoy the fruits of their labors.
— Kern County Family Magazine – Tracie Grimes (March 2012)
Old MacDonald had a farm but Jo MacDonald has a garden! That’s right, E-I-E-I-O, Jo MacDonald is growing healthy foods for her family and the creatures on her farm. Little ones will enjoy learning about the process of gardening and even discover a surprise plant! Jo MacDonald Had a Garden is playful, colorful, and educational and lots of fun to read with your child. Best of all, kids love singing the words to the well-known tune of Old MacDonald had a Farm.
Hailey: “Jo MacDonald had a garden and a farm and a pond! She had all of them. She is lucky; I wish I had a farm and a pond. Can we plant a garden again? I want to plan lots of pretty flowers—pink flowers and yellow flowers and blue flowers, all the pretty ones. I would grow broccoli and potatoes and lettuce but not carrots. The bunnies would eat them. Jo plants lots of stuff in her garden. She digs and digs. She puts in the seed. She pats it down. She waters it with a water can. I like to water plants too! They grow. Jo is happy. She eats the stuff from her garden. E-I-E-I-O.”
Mom: The Jo MacDonald series is an enjoyable and fun series for my children and me. It gives them the ability to take something familiar and put it with something new. In this edition, Jo MacDonald discovers her garden and teaches children what gardening is all about. It’s a perfect fit for spring. The illustrations are fun and interactive. The words explain the process and importance of gardening while teaching about animals, seasons and patience. I would recommend Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum to other parents. It’s sure to be enjoyable for children whether they are being read to, learning to read or reading all on their own.
— Kids Reader Views – Hailey Schlarman (age 3) and Mom for Reader Views (3/12) (April 2, 2012)
Jo MacDonald is a great Kindergarten book. There are so many curricular connections that a teacher would be hard-pressed to find a way NOT to use it. The illustrations are beautiful and not too distracting for this audience. This book is a great for introducing gardening to young school children.
— National Gardening Association – Rose Judd Murray (February 2012)
Quattlebaum breathes new life into a familiar song with words that will inspire little gardeners everywhere—whether they have a sprawling backyard or a small city balcony.
— Anne Keisman, Editor, National Wildlife Federation’s “Be Out There” campaign (October 2011)
. . . Another new favorite is Jo MacDonald Had a Garden. Who can resist Old McDonald Had a Farm? For a new take, sing along with young readers while Jo MacDonald makes her garden. E-I-E-I-O. “With a dig-dig here. And a dig-dig there….With a wiggle-wiggle here. And a wiggle-wiggle there.”
This is engaging children’s literature a la gardening, nature, and science. Editor and co-publisher Glenn Hovermann says Dawn Publications is “all about connecting children with nature. We choose manuscripts that will inspire, entertain, educate. A book that will be appreciated in the classroom as well as in the trade.” . . .
— National Gardening Association – Charlotte Kidd (March 22, 2012)
If you had a garden, what would you plant in it? Or if you do have one, what do you plant? First, we all know that “Old MacDonald had a farm.” Then we found out that on this farm his granddaughter Jo MacDonald Saw Pond. Now, Jo plants, tends, and harvests a garden on her grandfather’s farm, with help from her cousin Mike. So Mary Quattlebaum’s cute text, following the rhythm and tune of the well-known song, and Laura J. Bryant’s adorable water-color illustrations which accompany it, will acquaint youngsters with all the elements of a successful garden, including sunshine, soil, worms, seeds, water, birds, and rain, as well as the bountiful results.
So, what did Jo plant in her garden and what will she reap? Many people have found gardening to be a pleasurable activity for a number of reasons, whether they have a big farm garden or a small city garden. It gets one outdoors and provides some good exercise. Furthermore, home grown food is tastier and more nutritious than store-bought produce, and it saves money too. The back pages of the book increase the educational experience of the reader by giving more information about the garden community, sharing some indoor activities that will enable children to enjoy garden-related fun year round, explaining how to be a gardener like Jo, and providing resources for helping young gardeners. There are also additional downloadable activities for this and all other Dawn Publication books at their website.
— Home School Book Review – Wayne Walker (March 5, 2012)
This wonderful book will open a window for kids into the magical and important world of plants.
— Susan Rieff, Executive Director, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (October 2011)
Grab your kids, tune your voices, and get ready for a romp through the garden. Through familiar refrains and fun activities kids learn about veggies, worms, butterflies, and much more. This little book is a happy, colorful, informative way to introduce kids to homegrown nutrition and stewardship.
— William Moss, “Get Out & Grow” Master Gardener, National Gardening Assn. (October 2011)
