ALA Booklist (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1995)

This is the garden that Jack planted. Cumulative words and pictures are a great way to show how the parts of nature connect and grow together. In the first framed picture, the boy Jack stands in jeans, baseball cap, and sneakers--one hand on hip, the other holding his shovel, like the archetypal farmer in American Gothic confronting the world. Then, each double-page spread shows an additional link (these are the insects that sipped nectar from the flowers . . . that grew from the seedlings that sprouted with the rain . . . that fell on the soil that made up the garden that Jack planted ). Around each framed picture, small, labeled illustrations show the links in increasing detail: the names and types of seed, tools, clouds, and insects. Cole is an elementary-school science teacher, and his nature drawings in colored pencil on colored paper make for joyful learning, both precise and lovely. (Reviewed Apr. 1, 1995)

Horn Book

Building on the familiar cumulative tale about Jack, Cole creates an enticing guide to creating a garden. Double-page spreads feature realistic, precise, colored-pencil drawings of flowers, birds, clouds, and butterflies, illustrations that showcase the garden's progress during the growing season. Smaller, labeled illustrations around the borders depict familiar objects such tools, seeds, and insects. A page of gardening suggestions is included.

Kirkus Reviews

Cole mimics the cumulative technique of ``The House That Jack Built'' to describe the garden the eponymous hero might tend in his backyard. In addition to entertainment, the story provides information on the ecosystem of a simple garden, layering in detail about the flora and fauna it supports. The drawings display proficiency with a colored pencil; the human figures are unimpressive, but they are also scarce—the bulk of the book is given over to birds, bugs, and plants. There are ten variations of the ladybird beetle alone, and nearly as many butterflies. The scenes can be static, but the insect specimens are interesting and accurate. Capped by a lively and elegant design, the book should supplement to an elementary science lesson; what Jack's Garden lacks in personality, it more than makes up for in attention to detail. (Picture book. 3+)"

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--A cumulative story that traces a little boy's backyard flower garden from tilling the soil to enjoying the blossoms. The text delightfully catalogs the process in a take-off on the old rhyme ``This Is the House That Jack Built.'' As the garden takes shape, readers see seedlings sprout and bud, flowers open, insects and birds visit and, at last, a lovely garden in full bloom. Each double-page spread is done in soft colored pencils on various colored background. The borders contain detailed labeled drawings of tools, insects, birds, eggs, and, of course, flowers. Instructions for starting a garden complete the presentation. A pretty book rather than a how-to, this would be helpful in a primary setting to introduce gardening or the growth cycle.--Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY