Underground Train

Jackson works to turn a community garden plot into a working business so he can buy the basketball he wanted for his 10th birthday. The fast-paced plot unfolds through Jackson’s lively, often humorous voice through to its satisfying conclusion.

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.

When Bad Bart who was the “biggest, burliest pirate this side of the Atlantic” meets Mean Mo, “maddest, mightiest pirate this side of the Pacific,” an unwinnable competition ensues that ends in romance. The rollicking pirate adventures are told with verve and humor.

Short poems and translucent watercolors capture the sights, the cold, and the fun of winter. A squirrel, however, “scolds and scolds/this mean white stuff/that stole his snack/and chills his toes.”