Nonfiction Monday (Watch me grow by Deborah Hodges)

My own offering for Nonfiction Monday is Deborah Hodge's Watch Me Grow, with photographs by Brian Harris

This book is even better than Deborah Hodge's Up We Grow, which I reviewed last year. In this accessible picture book, she introduces us to gardening in a city, especially for and with children.

First of all, having drooled over Brian Harris' photographs, I now have a not-so-secret longing to relocated to Vancouver. It appears to be the most fun, green city ever!

The book is divided into four sections, Growing, Sharing, Eating, and Caring. The gentle questioning of the text and many photographs show all the overlooked places where gardens can flourish and will inspire readers to find their own corners for growing food (I'm thinking those really sunny windowsills in the library...if I can just keep the kids from knocking over the pots...) Additional suggestions and information on growing food is included in small boxes.

The sharing section talks about the ways people share food - and space. Community gardens, city farmers, urban farmer's markets, and creating gardens that attract wildlife are all included. Eating discusses ways to use the food you've grown in your garden and Caring shows how city gardens can help people and the environment flourish. A brief note about Urban Agriculture explains more of the benefits of city gardening and lists all the beautiful gardens in the photographs.

Verdict: This is a must have for your library. Even if you live in a small town and not a city, like me, there are many people who live in apartments or have small or nonexistent gardens. This is the perfect book for encouraging gardening with children in unique spaces. Pair this with DK's Ready Set Grow for a great combination of gardening ideas and finding spaces for the gorgeous green!

ISBN: 9781554536184; Published February 1, 2011; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates.

Welcome to Nonfiction Monday! Leave your links in the comments below and I will add them throughout the day.

Great Kids Books has a review of Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea and Air by Stewart Ross

Charlotte's Library looks at Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham

Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian has a review of two of Bearport's Built for Cold series on Arctic animals

The Children's War has a post in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week on The Children We Remember by Chana Byers Abells

Pink Me has a review (and a couple bonus anecdotes) of Manners Mash-Up

Wild About Nature has a review of W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet by Roland and Marie Smith and you have the chance to enter and win your own copy!

The Happy Nappy Bookseller has a review of Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh

Books4Learning has a biography of Bethany Hamilton (of Soul Surfer movie fame)

Janet Squires has Chocolate: a sweet history by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Charise Harper

The Fourth Musketeer has a review of a new book about Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Penny Colman

Anastasia Suen has a post about Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3–8 (her new book for teachers and students that came out last week) Go Anastasia!

The Z-Kids at Bookie Woogie took a look at Dan Yaccarino's All the Way to America and had a really special interview with the kids' great-grandma!

Books, Dogs, and Frogs has posted on A Life in the Wild, a great adventure book on studying animals.

MacLibrary at Check it out has a review of Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire

Laurie Thompson has a review of Start it up! a great resource for teen entrepreneurs (I can personally say this is amazing! I have a review of it scheduled for later and just purchased it for our library!