Uno’s Garden

Graeme Base

Viking Penguin, 2006

9780670041916

Uno arrives in the forest on a beautiful day at the very beginning of spring and is greeted by a myriad of beautiful, lush plants and the most fantastic creatures he has ever seen. He likes it so much that he decides to stay there.But Uno’s decision spells doom for the plants and the creatures of the forest, including the only completely ordinary Snortlepig.

The animals go one by one

A hundred plants, then there were none

And all the while the buildings double…

This numbers game adds up to trouble.

But Uno is wise and sees the future of his children and their children if someone does not act to stem the consequences of civilisation. So he starts a special garden that does not have the vegetables and flowers of other gardens, but allows his children and grandchildren to have hope for their future.

But if you count with utmost care

(And trust me that they are all there)

You’ll go from ten to nothing, then

The whole way back to ten again!

Uno’s Garden is a rich story that delivers a powerful message through both its words and pictures. On a simple level, it is a counting book that shows how when one thing increases another decreases. However, the diversity and detail of the illustrations tells a more complex story that provides an excellent starting point for children to start considering their impact on their environment and how this can be positive.

There is a full unit of work  with a sustainablity focus (written by me) available from Reading Enriches Learning  and Graeme Base’s imagination and work is so rich that he deserves to be the focus of an auhtor/illustrator study.