Children's Literature Round tables of Canada Information Book Award Honour Book

There once was a garden alive with flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

While gardener was pleased with the plants, he wasn't so sure about all the insects that called the garden home. He liked the bright red ladybugs, and he knew that the bees and the butterflies pollinated the flowers, but some of the bugs were nothing but trouble.

One day the gardener thought, If I get rid of the bad insects, my garden will be perfect - and he sprayed all the plants with bug killer. But the results were far from perfection! As his beautiful garden came close to ruin, the gardener began to see that the plants and insects were linked, that they depended on one another to
survive. But how could he undo the damage?

Accompanied by vibrant, beautifully detailed illustrations, this simple story of one garden introduces young children to the important concept of the balance of nature. Youngsters will be both reassured and enlightened when they find out how everybody's favourite insect- the ladybug- saves the day.