Eddie's Garden and How to Make Things Grow - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2–Eddie and his mother ("assisted" by baby sister Lily and applauded by Grandad) plant a veggie garden. Their hard work is recorded in the brief text, and delightfully displayed in the soft watercolors (one appealing illustration shows the siblings sitting inside a "bean den"–long sticks tied together at the top and covered with vines). The family's horticultural efforts (including a late-night slug hunt) are rewarded by a bumper crop, and the ensuing picnic stars peas, carrots, corn, and lettuce (and a pie made from Lily's pumpkin). Novice gardeners will find instructions for growing Eddie's plants, along with other pertinent information on soil, seeds, container gardening, and possible pests, at the back of the book. A wonderful supplement to gems such as Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt, 1987), Rosalind Creasy's Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes (Sierra Club, 1997), and Michael Rosen's stunning Down to Earth (Harcourt, 1998), Garland's offering will inspire young children to ask for a bit of earth (or a couple of pots) to try out their green thumbs.–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
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