The Great Big Green

“It’s chock-full of green things/ that are good for you:/ your eat-your-broccoli greens/ your bunch-of-green-grapes green/ your watermelons-sparkling-in-the-sun greens.” What is this mysterious object that contains so much green? Readers won’t find out until the final spread of this energizing tribute to the planet, as Gifford’s verse sings the praises of greens eels, anacondas, a “tornado-sky,” and “tennis balls that glow way beyond ever green.” Some readers may be slightly lost at first, since Gifford doesn’t ask them to guess what she’s describing until the book is almost over. Desimini’s mixed-media collages incorporate scanned images of fabrics, photographs, and other objects to create whimsically surreal images that highlight the variety of greenery found on Earth. Ages 4–7. (Apr.)