Johnny Crow is a crow that has a garden. All sorts of different animals are in the garden and they are not your average animals.

If you're interested in the history of children's literature, this is a real find. The b/w illustrations will appear boring to most modern children, but detailed animal characters are engaging. ( )

Beautiful pictures from a master illustrator. The story is about Johnny Crow and all of the animals who come to his garden. The text is wonderful for teaching children about words rhymes and phenomes. The simple phrasing is wonderful for very young children.

Johnny Crow’s Garden is a story written in lyrical poetry about a crow who would “Dig and Sow” until “he made a little Garden.” After constructing this immaculate garden, Johnny is visited by numerous animals ranging from a rat who “Wore a Feather in His Hat” to a bear who “Had nothing to wear.” All the animals seem to enjoy coming to Johnny’s garden.

The rhyming is adorable and I think it would draw children into the story. The illustrations truly add to this story. They help the reader to realize how brilliant and expansive Johnny’s garden is. There are park benches for the animals to lounge in and there are walkways fashioned out of shrubs. It is truly quite and undertaking that this crow has created.

This book states on the cover that it is a picture book, but I think an interesting exercise would be to read the story to children without showing the pictures. I think that this would encourage children to use their imaginations and focus on the imagery of the poetry. After all, the situations in the book are quite imaginative. This could also be a good chance to teach note taking skills. I would also have the children try to draw some of the situations portrayed by the poetry (for example, a lion with a necktie or rat wearing a hat). This could truly be a creative experience for the children. ( )

One of the strangest books I've ever read. ( )