Gram and Joe go to the vegetable patch in this charming picture-book celebration of the seasons, the natural world - specifically, the "good brown earth - and the pleasure of gardening. As Gram turns to each task at its appointed time - digging, thinking, planting, and weeding - Joe follows his own path, sowing wildly and playing often. Despite their different methods, however, the "good brown earth got on with doing what the good brown earth does best," resulting in a bounteous crop and a happy pair...

I enjoyed Kathy Henderson's And the Good Brown Earth, finding both the simple but poetic text, and the mixed-media illustrations, very appealing. The repetition of the line about the good brown earth makes for an effective refrain, bringing the narrative back, again and again, to the earth itself. The artwork has a lovely impressionistic quality that suits the story. I did wonder at the fact that Gram and Joe's harvest includes both strawberries and pumpkins (different seasons, surely?), but leaving that one flaw aside, this is just a lovely picture-book, one I would recommend to all young gardeners and nature-lovers, and to anyone looking for good children's stories about grandparents and their grandchildren. ( )

Joe and Gram plant and cultivate a garden. Gram works methodically while Joe explores and learns, each helped by “the good brown earth.” They dig in the fall, plan in the winter, plant in the spring, weed and water in summer, and gather produce and feast in late summer. The repetition in the text adds to the book’s appeal.