SuperNaturale

Kids in the Garden is a welcome follow up to the honest, humble gardening book Growing Stuff. Geared toward kids in the 8+ range Kids in the Garden is chock full of simple projects that can take place in your garden throughout the growing season.

Projects are concise and easy to understand. Emphasis is on organic gardening techniques in a way that is appealing and jargon free. Growing instructions are charmingly paired with simple recipes. This book exemplifies the garden to table ethos that holistically connects us to what and how we eat.

As a parent I not only found it appropriate for my kid but also was thrilled with the straightforward instructions for such garden practices as composting, creating organic fertilizers, crop rotation and square foot garden planning. Frankly, all things I wish a gardening book for adults would describe to me in such a no nonsense manner.

Since this book and its publisher are UK based some of the information on flora and fauna are not exactly in line with North American gardens. However a carrot by any other name is a carrot so almost nothing is lost in translation.

My only gripe is that the design of the book, meant to appeal to kids, comes off as busy and uncool - it lacks the sophistication and smarts of the book’s content.