About the Author

Celia Barker Lottridge is a storyteller and multi award-winning author of picture books and novels for children, including The Name of the Tree, Ticket to Curlew, Wings to Fly, and The Little Rooster and the Diamond Button. Formerly a children's librarian and bookseller, Celia was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Karen Patkau is an author, designer, visual artist and visual arts educator. She has illustrated a number of picture books, including One Hungry Heron, Don't Eat Spiders, and . Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Karen lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

Praise from School Library Journal: Numbers, colors, and gardening are combined in this vividly illustrated counting book. The story starts as Max and Josephine plant a garden, first 1 watermelon seed, then 2 pumpkin seeds, and so on all the way to 10. The phrase, "and they grew" follows mention of each new set of seeds. The graphic-style illustrations depict the seedlings as they grow, with an occasional gardening glove, tool, watering can, or young hand inserted into the scenes. After a center spread with colorful plants filling the pages to capacity and Max and Josephine busy at work, it's time for the harvest.The fruits and vegetables are so plentiful that they must be counted in tens: "ten watermelons, big and green, and twenty pumpkins, glowing orange." The vibrant colors and close-up views of the produce make it look delicious and irresistible. Later, on a cold winter night, the children turn "one hundred ears of corn" into "100s and 1000s of big, white crunchy puffs" of popcorn. Throughout the book, the text runs along the bottom of the double-paged illustrations, with the numerals, in bright colors, lining up beneath. This appealing book is great for classroom counting and discussions of seasons.""