January 14, 2022
PreS-Gr 3-In a relatable tale that combines process and joy, the children of Mrs. Best's real-life kindergarten class are growing a garden! Arnold has photographed and told their story from beginning seeds to finished salad. The children are taught how to prepare the soil, how to plant the seeds, and how to water and nurture the seedlings. They are taught to keep the strong seedlings and to either compost or feed to the chickens the weaker ones. Mrs. Best explains how ladybugs help keep damaging bugs under control. The children learn what plants need support and to be patient and give everything time to grow. After three months, they are ready to harvest and make a salad for all to enjoy. In the back of the book, readers will find a listing of what parts of plants are edible, what garden tools to use, and common gardening questions. There is a very effective garden vocabulary page, as well as a list of online sources and books for further information. VERDICT With photography to illustrate each step, this is a delightful and informative book.-Cynde Suite
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March 15, 2022
Preschool-Grade 3 The kindergartners from Room 6 are outdoors, planting and watering rows of vegetable seeds in raised beds. In the classroom, over the coming weeks, they observe beans sprouting roots and green shoots in clear plastic cups with wet paper-towel liners. Meanwhile, they can envision that the seeds they planted outdoors are undergoing similar stages of growth beneath the soil. The kids weed out some of the seedlings and feed them to the school chickens. These birds (now grown) were featured in Arnold's Hatching Chicks in Room 6 (2017), the first book in the Room 6 series. At one point, aphids are eating the plants, but ladybugs start eating the aphids. When the vegetables are ready, the children harvest them and make a salad. The book's relatively short sentences are varied in structure and easily understood. Tracing the process of this long-term classroom project, the text tells what the students did, while the clear, appealing color photos show what they observed. An intriguing book for children unfamiliar with gardening, and a wonderful resource for teachers undertaking similar projects.
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