Allenby (Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That) and Griffiths (Bad Pirate) explore the perils of perfectionism, following a rabbit named Timo through a week's worth of gardening, as he tries to make it perfect for an upcoming garden tour. Allenby laces her story with alliteration and wordplay ("Gently, he planted some ginger. Gingerly, he planted some gentians"), and Griffiths's color illustrations further add to the cozy atmosphere-there's a whiff of The Wind in the Willows in the dapper outfits he gives the animal characters. It's impossible to miss the message ("I could have tended my friends instead of my garden," Timo realizes, after a rainstorm ruins a week's worth of work), but the easy camaraderie and old-fashioned gentility among these friends exert plenty of charm. Ages 5-8. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Allenby's sophomore offering (first was Nat the Cat Can Sleep like That, 2014) shows how to tend to a garden as well as tend to friendships. Timo is an anthropomorphic cottontail rabbit who has signed up to be part of a garden tour, and he tires himself out trying to make his yard look perfect. Allenby's storytelling is lively, with a nice sprinkling of rhymes, alliteration, and other wordplay, as when Timo, with three days before the garden tour, tries to be careful and not rush his flower planting: Gently, he planted some ginger. Gingerly, he planted some gentians. Griffiths animates Timo and his animal friends with gentle good spirits, even when Timo is frustrated by rain. Timo neglects his friends to focus on the garden, but they cheerfully rally to help him after the rainstorms have ended. At the back of the book, Griffiths provides some small but lovely illustrations of the 14 flowers mentioned in the story. Sweet, informative, and visually appealing.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2016 Booklist

Timo the rabbit is eager to make his garden "great." Timo loves his garden, with its many flowers (an illustrated index names all those mentioned in the text) and "herbs for cooking, a lawn for visiting, and a bench for sitting and daydreaming." Suddenly, though, it doesn't seem special enough when he decides to participate in the upcoming garden tour. From one short chapter to the next, instead of spending time with friends, he frets and gardens, gardens and frets. Ultimately, Timo not only misses out on fun with friends, he's also thwarted by poor weather when a rainstorm leaves the garden "a mess." His friends rally to him help clean things up, but in what seems like an unnecessary twist, the garden tour is cancelled due to yet more (offstage) rain, and so Timo and his friends instead have a picnic and make plans for more gardening. A closing image of garden-tour judges at Timo's gate suggests that all's well in the end. Throughout, Griffiths' richly colored illustrations depict anthropomorphic animals in a pastoral setting and include Timo's lists of tasks on pages made to look like notebook paper. While the text isn't controlled enough for brand new readers to decode, the brief chapters make the story accessible on a structural level. A fine title for growing readers. (Early reader. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 1-4-When the Great, Green Garden Tour is announced in Timo's village, his friends suggest that he enter his own garden. The young rabbit begins making preparations by weeding and tidying but is concerned that he won't be finished in a week. Firm on his commitment to the garden tour, Timo skips a trip to the lake, a tennis match, and other excursions with his friends. As the big day grows closer, Timo's anxiety builds and he no longer enjoys the company of his irises and gentians. Unpredictable forces arise, and the green-thumbed rabbit's friends come to his rescue. This lovely early chapter book presents the theme of friendship while also tackling life's challenges in a comfortable manner. Griffiths's detailed, full-color renditions of the animal characters bring life to the residents of Toadstool Corners. The finely illustrated "Glossary of Flowers" on the final pages is an ideal introduction for budding horticulturists. VERDICT A charming addition to early chapter book collections.-Claire Moore, Darien Library, CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.