[.ca] Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together ... (ISBN 0761117652)

From Amazon.com:
Green thumbs and non-green thumbs alike will fall in love with Roots, Shoots, Buckets, & Boots, a remarkably fun and informative introduction to the wonderful world of gardening--and more specifically, gardening with children. Learn how to make everything from a pizza garden (pizza-pie-shaped, with herbs and vegetables for a fabulous pizza at harvest time), to a sunflower house (a secret hideaway with stately sunflowers and lovely creeping morning glories), to a moon garden ("Fragrance is the color of night"). Chock full of helpful hints, clever and artistic touches, and intriguing "recipes" (Moth Broth and Compost Sandwich, to name a few), this idea book will spark creativity and a lifelong fascination with gardening. Nine concepts for theme gardens are presented in a clearly defined yet non-rigid manner that is just right for encouraging young gardeners. Sharon Lovejoy, award-winning author and illustrator of several gardening books, including Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart, has a true knack for working with all kinds of living things, including children. She understands how quickly young people will be turned off by inflexible rules, and instead encourages budding green thumbs to experiment and explore, while providing them with useful guidelines and helpful information. Wonderfully earthy watercolors make this cozy book even more welcoming. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter

What a Treat!:
I bought this book on a whim and was I ever delighted with the results! For the experienced or the beginning gardener, this book really gives one some concrete and specific ideas to get out there with your children and dig in the dirt! My 5-year-old daughter and I immediately began looking at seed catalogs so we could plant the first of the many unique garden ideas, a sunflower playhouse with a morning glory roof! Wow! We can't wait... This book was so inspirational I have already purchased more for gifts. Very charming and practical.

So you want a fun backyard for your children...:
then this is the book for you! We just bought a house with lots of backyard and I was looking for a book to help me turn some of it into fun space for our 2 girls where they can do some gardening of their own. This book has great ideas for both big and small spaces. A lot of the ideas can be used in part, and it has definitely turned on the "creative juices" in our heads. The sunflower house alone is AWSOME,and worth purchasing the book just to get that plan! Moms and Dads will enjoy spending time in it as much as the kids! Great for beginning gardeners to the seasoned gardeners - helps you plan your garden from start to finish with tips on how to get your kids involved and enjoying it. I highly recommend this book.

Rediscover the joy of playing in the dirt:
Sharon Lovejoy probably wasn't the very first gardener to think of creating fairy gardens, pizza gardens, sunflower houses and flower mazes; but I'll give her credit for introducing them to the gardening public like no one else had before or since. ROOTS, SHOOTS, BUCKETS AND BOOTS is a delightful introduction to gardening for children and the people who cherish them. The book is grounded on the idea that gardening should be shared with kids at a young age, the better to nurture a lifetime of healthy pleasure and respect for nature: therefore, learning how to grow things should be a fun experience, without a lot of restrictions, rules and long waiting to see results. Every project is scaled for children -- with a little help from parents - to be quick, do-able and fun. Parents will appreciate that the theme gardens in RSB & B will not send them running to the local garden center to charge up a small fortune in tools and materials. In keeping with organic horticultural practices, the author explains simple, homemade composting techniques and recipes to build soil and feed plants. Whenever possible, readers are encouraged to use found objects around the house and garage for cultivating and planting: she gives "permission" to dig and work the soil with spoons and forks, pot up potatoes in colanders and herb gardens in old gardening boots, and find new purpose for rusty old wagons as movable feasts of annual flowers. Kids can't help but learn quite a bit from their experiences in sowing and growing. The author opens up a world of wonderment that tantalizes kids to learn from the changes and growth taking place. She subtly encourages kids to watch for all the insect and animal life their gardens will attract. RSB & B is densely packed with fun factoids like, "Run your fingers over the pumpkin vines. Farmers use them to protect the plots of other crops" and "If you like the taste of licorice, you won't be able to pass your fennel without nibbling. Fennel is called the weight-watcher's herb because it satisfies an appetite." Designed with humor and illustrated with charm, RSB & B will prompt people of all ages to rediscover why they love playing outside in the sun, fresh air and dirt.

Please buy this book!:
I am a student teacher and I bought this book to use in my classroom and with my own child. I love this book. It is hands-on, natural teaching at its finest. The ideas are not very expensive and basics are included with tips on how to work with your child to cultivat a love and respect for earth. No place is to large or small for this book (you just have to have space for a glove if that is as small as you can go) Your child will be able to learn that food is grown not just bought.

Loved it so much I bought 3 more as gifts!:
It's beautifully illustrated! My 9-year old daughter couldn't wait to choose a gardening project and begin. Whether you have lots of space or just a couple of old boots, you can have a wonderfully creative and lovely garden. The author begins by telling you about the plants that are suitable for children and then takes them on a gardening extravaganza - through worms, scarecrown,water, soil, the Zumi Indians - you name it, it's in this book. Whether an avid gardener or not, your family will enjoy this one for many years to come!