Children - Learning Basic Concepts, Children - Nature

Counting in the Garden

Name: Counting in the Garden
Author: Patrick Hruby
ISBN: 9781623260057

by Patrick Hruby, Emily Hruby

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Overview

COUNTING IN THE GARDEN celebrates the joy of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables in one's very own garden. This hardcover book is a visual feast from one to twelve. Young children will love finding and counting all of the garden treats. Every other page introduces a new plant or animal into the mix until ultimately all twelve additions are featured together in the final, abundantly overgrown garden. COUNTING IN THE GARDEN is sure to appeal to eco-conscious parents and their "green" little kids.

About the Author, Patrick Hruby

Brother and sister team Patrick and Emily Hruby collaborated on this charming little book. As kids growing up in a log cabin in the woods of Idaho, they were raised loving the abundant nature all around them. Emily often made up poetic stories for Patrick's imaginative drawings. As Los Angeles transplants, they each continue to pursue their respective passions for writing and illustrating. This is their first book together.

Patrick Hruby grew up to study math and physics before attending the renowned Art Center College of Design and pursuing a career as an illustrator. His interest in the geometry of nature is central to his work. Influenced by artists and designers such as Charley Harper, Paul Rand, and Mary Blair, Hruby has gone on to develop his own stunning and modern aesthetic.

Emily Hruby's love of literature, language, and traveling led her to graduate studies in English to ultimately pursue a career as a writer. As a child she was endlessly amazed by her older brother Patrick's artistic talent. As adults, they continue to collaborate on creative projects and travel together in the hunt for adventure and new inspiration.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

"An intriguing slant on the garden, from roots below the earth to the insect inhabitants above the ground. ... There's no denying the striking visual impact. A concept fully ripe for the harvest." —Kirkus Reviews

"The bold, colorful pictures in 'Counting in the Garden' could easily adorn a shopping bag for a tony London department store." —ForeWord Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Graphic designer Patrick Hruby teams with his sister for a trip to the garden that alternates between wordless spreads and pages with brief counting phrases. A doll-like boy counts the different kinds of life in his garden: "4 fun sunflowers, with very long stems... 5 fresh watermelons, shiny and green." All of the flora and fauna, including a purple and pink striped onion and kitelike butterflies, appear in a finale, crowded with life. Full of vibrant, flattened, geometric shapes, Hruby's work offers a fresh, welcoming vision of the joys to be found outdoors. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

The Hrubys' board counting book offers more than just practice counting from one to twelve. Our young, overall-clad narrator takes us out into the garden to examine a dozen items. For each he adds a few words of description, for example: "1 onion with many, many peels; 2 tasty turnips, deep inside the ground...5 fresh watermelons, shiny and green...7 slippery snails with different colored shells...10 tender tomatoes, juicy and delicious!" Each double-page spread with the number and the items is followed by a wordless page where those items appear added cumulatively with those counted before. In the end, our young gardener decides to pick some tasty things from the garden for lunch. Hruby's illustrations emphasize the abstract characteristics of the items counted. It's as if he might have used stencils or cut papers to create the sharp-edged leaves and produce clean, texture-free solid colors, as he adds eye-appeal to each crop. The two spreads of "new" butterflies are particularly attractive as designed with a variety of colorful geometric shapes. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Kirkus Reviews

An intriguing slant on the garden, from roots below the earth to the insect inhabitants above the ground. This green-thumbed gardener, with wooden limbs, red-circled cheeks and angular nose, counts how his garden grows, from one to 12. After a new group of items is enumerated (thistles, earthworms and sunflowers included), the following double-page spread displays its impact on the spacious outdoors. There's charm in the disproportionate perspective; the onion towers over the individual while he peers down, dwarfing the turnips growing below. Retro geometric shapes enhance the angled beauty. The quiet text benefits from spare descriptions. "Six sweet strawberries, hanging from vines // Seven slippery snails, with different colored shells." By alternating between counting text and wordless spreads, the book allows for moments of calm transition. Gardeners will grouse at the indiscriminate inclusion of items regardless of season (tomatoes and tulips?), but there's no denying the striking visual impact. A concept fully ripe for the harvest. (Board book. 18 mos.)