Guinea Pigs Go Gardening

Blue-gray Bob and pumpkin-colored Ginger, both anthropomorphic gourd-shaped guinea pigs with thin-lined features, are best friends who adore working in their shared garden, each winter planning the following year’s yield. Come spring, the two weed the plot, augment the soil with their homemade compost (made from “fallen leaves, straw, vegetable scraps, and cut grass... as well as used cardboard and newspaper”), measure rows, and plant seeds. Predators, including slugs and pigeons, prove pesky, but the rodents prevail, harvesting their crops and making jam and pie with the bounty. Sheehy’s illustrations beguilingly recall vintage picture books in both style and color palette; occasional scrawled notations indicate supplemental facts (“Plants use light to make their own food”). The detailed narrative may lose the attention of casual readers, but those interested in horticulture will appreciate each detailed how-to. Endpapers include gardening tips and information on pollination and pollinators. Ages 3–5. (Feb.)