A Backyard Vegetable Garden for Kids
By Amie Jane Leavitt
Mitchell Lane, 2008.
Review from Booklist for the “Gardening for Kids” series:
Kids interested in growing their own vegetables will find a useful introduction to the essential steps and equipment in this slender entry in the Gardening for Kids series. The enthusiastic text (“What are you waiting for?”) guides readers through planning crops and preparing the plot, sowing and planting, and fundamental caretaking before harvest. The broad scope and low page count result in simplified coverage of topics, making this title a basic entrée to the subject rather than a one-stop, practical guide. Still, the author includes detailed information, such as how to read a seed packet, and readers will come away with a sense of how a garden is planned, planted, and maintained. A final section about container gardening widens the audience to readers without outdoor space of their own. The crowded spreads combine somewhat cramped blocks of text with color photos, but valuable reference charts, including a full-page listing of companion plants, enhance the text, as does the glossary and thorough appended resource lists of books, organizations, and Web sites. Grades 4-7. –Gillian Engberg, 10/15/2008, Vol. 105 Issue 4, p63-44
If your child is interested in growing veggies and fruits, this book is a great first step in learning the basics of gardening. Kids learn to plan a garden and prepare the soil, sow and plant the seeds and transplants, and how to care for the crop up until the harvest. There are color photos and reference charts along with a list of companion plants.
“One of the only series on the many aspects of gardening for children. Practical and exciting!” — Ann Davis