Gardening, Part 1

As I was sitting outside this morning, soaking up the sun and trying to hit the halfway point in the 5th book in the Game of Thrones series, I realized that the five basil plants we bought last week had still not made it into the garden (thank goodness for rain. . . ). Of course, that made me think of the garden I would like to have, if I had any hint of green in my thumb, and led me to search my bookshelf for good garden books. I found a few worth sharing...

The first two, both written by Deborah Hodge, photographed by Brian Harris, and published by Kids Can Press, make a great combo, with Up We Grow! documenting a year on small farm and Watch Me Grow!, highlighting city gardening.

Up We Grow! is structured around the seasons and information is presented through two levels of text: the primary "story" of the small farm, the people who run it, and its animals and crops, and the information found in smaller green boxes that discusses more general information like "Caring for the Land" or "Caring for Our Food." The text is supplemented by bright photographs depicting all aspects of the farm and simple questions like, "Do you have a compost bin?" and "Is there a farmer's market where you live?" are scattered throughout. While this book could be used as an interactive read aloud (even in small parts), the text is simple enough that a fairly fluent 2nd grader and most 3rd graders could read it independently.


Watch Me Grow! is structured around the ideas of growing, sharing, eating, and caring. The book shows different places (windowsills, backyards, rooftops, etc.) and kinds of gardens--including caring for chickens and honeybees. (Yes! I realize that's not really "gardening," but it's still in the book--and interesting!)  The green boxes highlight items like "Sharing your Garden" and "Growing an Herb Garden", and lots of kid are pictured helping work, cook, and eat.

Both books have a page of brief information at the back--one providing a little more information on sustainable farms and the other on urban agriculture, and both would be very useful for talking about life science (needs of living things, habitats, life cycles, etc.)--and even a little bit of social studies (rural vs. urban, communities, etc.). And, both could be particularly inspiring for those kids who, unlike me, DO have green thumbs!

Bird nests

Mother bird feeding her baby

Two years ago, we watched a pair of birds build a nest on our back porch right next to the door. We were fascinated by their clever use of material, which included not only natural items such as twigs but also remnants of a bright pink feather boa that had dropped some of its feathers. Ryan's depiction to the left captured his interpretation of how the mother bird was feeding the babies in the nest. Journaling about the birds was just something he chose to do as we watched the bird family grow. This is right in line with what Amy's previous post featured!

So what do birds use in making their nests besides pink feather boas? Irene Kelly's (2009) Even an ostrich needs a nest: Where birds begin opens with a page of illustrated items birds can use: twigs, grass, and spider silk, along with paper clips, rubber bands, and socks!  Full page spreads include a descriptive caption in the upper left corner, such as "Some birds don't need a nest at all" (such as penguins) and "Most birds build a cup-shaped nest" (such as robins). The text is laid out in various alignments, often curving around the watercolor and ink illustrations. Towards the end of the book, the location of each featured bird is identified on a world map, making a great connection with geography. The final page includes a "You can help!" page with a list of materials that birds might use in making their nests around your home. Feathers are included, though not specifically from a pink boa! You can find more of Irene's books on her website. And if you want to see a live feed from an eagle's nest, check out the streaming bald eagle cam in Minnesota, funded by their state lottery (who knew??!!). 

As long as we're on the topic of bird nests, let's continue with the ubiquitous Canadian geese that seem to reside on every golf course and at any water-bound park. Personally I prefer to watch them flying in V-formation overhead than to share the picnic grounds with them, but maybe that's from a few close calls with a protective goose parent. April Pulley Sayre's Honk, honk, goose! Canada geese start a family (2009) is a perfect read-aloud for young children about Canadian geese's nesting, feeding, and yes, those protective instincts. Simple sounds made by geese sliding in water, chasing predators, emerging from eggs, etc are highlighted in italics font  throughout the text ("Crack! Crick! Peep! The chicks were hatching!").  Cut-paper collages fill each page.  The last page spread includes additional information about geese migration, geese species, and geese families. The author's note includes the references used in ensuring accuracy of the information. April's website has many educator resources for her books, so check out what else she's written!