  | Weedy garden : a happy habitat for wild friends Author: Renkl, Margaret | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
A weedy backyard garden becomes a vibrant ecosystem that is home to an impressive array of plants and animals for any child patient enough to observe it.
| Illustrator: | Renkl, Billy |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (12/15/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 01/12/2026 A bumblebee, snake, squirrel, speckled toad, and more take up space in the "weedy garden" celebrated in this elegant picture book from sibling team the Renkls. Poetic, frequently alliterative second-person lines offer concise lyrical profiles: "If you’re a green hummingbird glinting and gleaming... you dance at the first glad glimpse of trumpet vine." Immersive full-bleed spreads lend a diorama-like feel to jam-packed digital scenes that display vintage-looking species cut-outs and emphasize fauna’s natural camouflage. A goldfinch plays "hide-and-seek among the black-eyed Susans," an earthworm tunnels "between the weedy roots," and flowers keep a cottontail rabbit’s presence secret ("You push back leaves, nudge tufts of soft fur. While the hawk sleeps, you nestle your babies"). As more and more beings enjoy their treats ("Strawberries!"), a friendly message of creaturely community is conveyed to a final presented species-a pale-skinned human "child sitting still in the clover." Back matter includes more about the highlighted animals. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) - Copyright 2026
