Laura Bryant

The narrator (always within her mother’s sight) independently picks berries for jam. When she encounters a bee she remembers to stand still until it leaves. The same encounter is told again from the bee’s perspective for a satisfying story told in rhyme with expressive illustrations.

In this version of a familiar tune, Jo MacDonald (the old farmer’s granddaughter) and her cousin plant a Spring garden, watch it grow, observe what visits it, gather its bounty before the cycle ends only to begin again. Engaging illustrations suggest ways to dramatize the yearly cycle, and suggested activities conclude the book.