GOOD MORNING, GARDEN
by Barbara Brenner & illustrated by Denise Ortakales
Brilliant cut-paper collage and joyful rhyme make Brenner’s latest a winner. In the opening spread, readers follow a girl beyond the garden gate. She appears close-up on the next page, eyes wide, as she stops to smell the flowers, deep purple cones dotted with tiny blossoms surrounded by lush green leaves. In the background, framed by an indigo field, the orange sun rises. Throughout, textured papers carefully cut and intricately arranged, create three-dimensional tableaus. Children will enjoy exploring the details—a mottled toad beneath a flower pot, a nesting bird, winged ladybugs—and hearing Brenner’s text, full of fun words: “Good morning, blue / delphinium, / purple phlox, / pink hollyhocks.” This is the anti-bedtime story, and a wonderful way to wake up. (Picture book. 3-5)