Intergenerational Gardening by Tasha Zoller

 

All photos: Tasha Zoller

It’s back to school and fall is a wonderful time to plant! Many communities are celebrating September with a look at our creation and it’s a perfect opportunity to teach kids about gardening, farming, and the soil that supports our world.

If you and some kids you know are craving some planting inspiration take a look at the following high interest children’s books found in the Jefferson County Public Library system. These books' formats are attractive and easy to use. They use engaging language, larger text, colorful layouts, and clear photographs to explain basic scientific information. Most have a Table of Contents, Glossary, and an Index. Some contain additional information about the book’s subject matter and websites to explore.

Green Gardening and Composting

by Molly Aloian, from The Green Scene series, 2014, Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, NY, crabtreebooks.com

This is a great introductory book for young kids and elementary students who want to learn how to be environmentally friendly gardeners. It focuses on sustainable practices and promotes small scale gardening, such as rooftop gardening, without using pesticides. The book also has quick tip sections for kids to “take action” encouraging readers to start gardening using the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.  

Growing and Eating Green: Careers in Farming, Producing, and Marketing Food
by Ruth Owen, from Green Collar Careers series, 2010, Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, NY crabtreebooks.com

For the older grade school student, this exciting book asks readers to think about careers that "reflect the issues that are important to us.” Namely, the care and healing of our planet. Topics include what organic farming is and how it’s different from corporate agriculture, “fair trade” food production, fun career profiles of farmers, bakers, and chefs around the world, and some hot-button issues like genetically modified foods, intensive livestock farming, use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and climate change affecting farming.

Jayden’s Impossible Garden by Melina Mangal, 2021, Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, freespirit.com

A delightfully illustrated storybook about Jayden’s faith in finding nature in the middle of the big city. With his friend, Mr. Curtis, who happens to work from a wheelchair, Jayden builds a “magical secret fort garden” amongst the buildings and roads next to his apartment complex. The back of the book contains notes from and about the author and the illustrator, Ken Daley, including a little information about familiar plants, insects, and birds as well as projects to “Invite Nature in with Recycled Crafts.”      

From Bulb to Tulip by Lisa Owings, from Start to Finish Second Series, 2015, Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Minneapoilis, MN, lernerbooks.com

From purchase to planting to blooming, this book builds anticipation for the youngster willing to patiently wait for an explosion of color in spring. This book offers a bit about how tulips grow, fade, and store energy to bloom year after year.

Soil by Rebecca Faulkner, from Geology Rocks! series, 2008, Raintree, Chicago, IL, raintreelibrary.com

If your child wants to dig in to the fundamentals of farming and gardening this book is an excellent place to start. From a geologic perspective, it covers what soil is, how it’s made, and what it needs to be healthy. There are lively, clearly labeled diagrams and maps which effectively explain scientific concepts. The book also reviews problems with current large-scale agriculture practices.

 What’s Soil Made Of? by Ellen Lawrence, from Down & Dirty The Secrets of Soil series, 2016, Bearport Publishing, bearportpublishing.com

You guessed it, another book about where soil comes from and it’s written for younger children. It has detailed photos of different soil environments and close-up diagrams of soil sections including insects, worms, and microbes. There is also a Science Lab outlining how kids can get up close and personal with their own soil samples.

Soils by Andrea Rivera, from Zoom In on Rocks and Minerals series,  2018, Abdo Consulting Group, Inc., abdopublishing.com

Though this basic book is for early readers it is broad in its scope. It touches on interesting yet less obvious aspects of soil such as technology, engineering, art, and math.

 Apprentice Tasha Zoller