Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Watch Me Grow: A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City
Photographer: Brian Harris
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Kids Can Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-1554536184
You may think that a city is not a place where people can grow their own food, but you would be wrong. In many cities, people are turning small yards, vacant lots, roofs, “fire escapes, balconies, patios, windowsills, and kitchen counters” into productive gardens that are bursting with herbs, fruits, and veggies.
This book explores city gardens of all kinds, and readers will discover how enriching these gardens are for the people who create and tend them. There is nothing quite like eating something that you have grown yourself.
Readers will also see how much city people enjoy being able to eat fresh produce, and how many of the city gardeners share their bounty with friends, family members, and neighbors. Other city dwellers who have yards but who don’t have the means or the inclination to create and tend a garden, share their yards with gardeners. In return for providing the land, they get a share of the harvest.
As they explore this book, readers will see how city gardening is enjoyable, how it connects people, and how it helps people to appreciate nature. In addition, these gardens makes the city more beautiful and more environmentally friendly places.
Throughout the book the engaging text is complimented by wonderful full-color photographs.
