Each Big Old Garden book has thirteen chapters that stand alone as individual stories, perfect for read-aloud time. Taken together, they tell a tale about the animals and birds who live in the Big Old Garden, so they can also be enjoyed as chapter books for readers ages 7-10.
A Year in the Big Old Garden >
James grew up in a tiny town wedged into a river valley in north-central Pennsylvania. His formative years were divided mostly between reading anything he could find and rambling through miles of forest owned by a distant paper-mill corporation.
Thanks in part to classic books like Thornton W. Burgess’ Chatterer the Red Squirrel and Sterling North’s Rascal, James developed a deep awareness of the individuality and drama in the lives of the wild birds and animals around him. To this day, he finds birdwatching a deeply restorative practice of being present to the moment.
So, when James was called upon to tell stories for his small children, it was only natural for his imagination to summon the birds and animals they knew from their own back yard, where his wife was developing immersive gardens.
James D. Witmer 