AT THE LIBRARY

August 14, 2008

New Children's Books: Vegetables and Gardens

If you happen to visit the Alliance Farmers' Market between now and October 18th, you just may see the Rodman Library Bookmobile parked there. Why? Because the library is doing its part to promote the idea of growing food locally. Our grounds have become a garden where you will find tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, growing alongside traditional flower landscaping. We encourage our patrons to create their own gardens with the help of books from our collection. Here are some titles from our children's collection:

Book jacket image The Vegetables We Eat, by Gail Gibbons.

This book for the picture book set introduces children to the eight groups of vegetables organized by the part of the plant that we eat: leaf, bulb, flower bud, root, tuber, stem, fruit, seed. Simple text and colorful artwork highlight this basic introduction. For ages 6-9.

Book jacket image Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes, by Rosalind Creasy.

This well-crafted book gives young gardeners the information they need for growing a garden full of fruits and vegetables including red corn, yellow watermelon and multicolored radishes. This takes the beginner from buying seeds to preparing the ground, planting, weeding and pest control. A nice bonus are the recipes for each item. For ages 8-11.

Book jacket image The Super Soybean, by Raymond Bial.

The versatile soybean gets its due in this attractive book. This is demonstrated by the fact that the book itself has been printed with soybean ink. Besides being a food source, the soybean is also found in plastics, medicines, fuel and crayons. With a growing season of four months, it is a great Midwestern crop. An index adds to the use of this book for students. For ages 9-12.

The Victory Garden Kids’ Book, by Marjorie Waters.

With a respect for nature in its approach – not recommending use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides – this book encourages children to experience the joys of gardening from ground breaking in spring to closing the plot in fall. Part One, "How to Garden" introduces the jobs of gardening while Part Two, "Kids' Crops" offers advice on growing thirty varieties of plants. Also included is a special section for parents and teachers. For ages 9-12.