Book Reviews - November 2008 - Volume 108 (7)

Uno's Garden

Author: Graeme Base
Abrams Books for Young Readers
115 W. 18th St.
New York, NY 10011
2006; 36 pages
$19.95

Reviewer: John Eichinger
California State University, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90032

Graeme Base prefaces Uno's Garden with these words:

‘The animals go one by one
A hundred plants, then there were none -
And all the while the buildings double...
This numbers game adds up to trouble.

But if you count with utmost care
(and trust me that they all are there),
You'll go from ten to nothing, then
The whole way back to ten again!”

Indeed, this lovely and thought-provoking children's book blends mathematics, science, and environmental ethics into an enlightening and engaging fable. Uno's Garden charts the development, and resulting habitat loss/destruction, subsequent to Uno's discovery of a beautiful forest. First comes the establishment of his garden, and then, with the gradual onset and imposition of civilization, we watch as the original flora and fauna disappear (exemplified by the apparent extinction of the shy Snortlepig), while buildings spring up in their place. Uno's children and grandchildren, however, care for the remnants of the garden, thus presenting a happy and ecologically-balanced ending.

This environmental parable is appropriate for the lower elementary grades, and handles relatively complex and significant subject matter in a readily comprehensible and age- appropriate manner. Befitting the inventive story, Uno's Garden offers striking illustrations in rich colors and imaginative, organic shapes. The author's inventiveness is particularly evident as he introduces the garden's various animal inhabitants, including creatures such as the Timid Tumbletops, Gondolopes, and Flipperflaps.

Uno's Garden makes excellent use of interdisciplinary thinking in science and math as Base applies significant principles of each into the story. Readers will experience arithmetic versus exponential growth, and even encounter prime numbers. They will observe, count, predict, and analyze as they wander through Uno's Garden.

As evidence of the book's value to youngsters, I must report that my twin five-year-old boys, Björn and Wolfe, enthusiastically gave Uno's Garden four “thumbs up.” They enjoyed the story and the illustrations, especially the details of the fanciful plants and animals. My two kindergarteners also enjoyed the challenge of locating the clandestine Snortlepig on each page. All in all, Uno's Garden is an outstanding introduction to environmental studies for young children and those who read with them.