Badger's Perfect Garden

By: Marsha Diane Arnold
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: March 2019
ISBN: 978-1534110007
Reviewed by: Gina Montanha
Review Date: May 1, 2019

Badger's Perfect Garden is a great accompaniment to planting your spring garden! While teaching your child about the work that goes into an actual garden – the planning, weeding, seeding and waiting, you can also make some teachable moments about patience, expectations and when planning just doesn’t go as planned! There are an adorable array of animals, including Red Squirrel, Weasel and Dormouse, who help a very diligent Badger plant his huge variety of vegetable and flower seeds, excited for the most perfect garden.

When Mother Nature decides to dump a deluge of rain down on poor Badger’s garden for days, he is very discouraged that all of his seeds have washed away and his perfect garden will never come to fruition. But his friends are hopeful and encouraging, trying to convince him that there will be many new seeds to collect again and start over. But Badger is sad and disappointed. Weeks later, his friends discover the most wonderful surprise and can’t wait to show Badger.

Illustrator Ramona Kaulitzki does a lovely job combining beautifully colored landscapes with the furry little creatures scattered throughout the pages. Even the inside of Badger’s tree-house is cute and colorful, with just enough detail to not overwhelm small senses. I particularly loved the whirling mix of wildflowers and vegetables near the end. You could almost smell them in the air!

Quill says: Badger’s Perfect Garden is a charming little story with a great lesson to be learned. Sometimes you just have to let go of your idea of “perfect” and let nature take its course...you never know what wonders may await!