Product Description

Plant a pumpkinseed with a child, and cultivate wonder. This simple act of reconnecting with children with nature is Sharon Lovejoy's purpose and joy and gift. Author of Sunflower Houses: Garden Discoveries for Children of All Ages and Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart, Sharon Lovejoy is a nationally known garden writer whose books, television specials, and projects at her learning landscape in California have introduced thousands of children to the pleasures of gardening. In her newest book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots, she presents 12 spirited, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated throughout by the author's own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe -- seeds, seedlings, and growing instructions spelled out step-by-step -- and activities. There's the Pizza Patch, a giant-size wheel garden planted in "slices" of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. A Flowery Maze to get lost in. A Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers, including a moonflower tent. And Mother Nature's Medicine Chest. Discovery Walks teach kids how the gardens work, and a chapter on gardening basics includes a child-friendly 10-Minute Plan for planting and maintenance, plus a list of the top 20 plants guaranteed to make gardeners out of kids.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #630568 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

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

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-A compact treasury of gardening lore, tips, and ideas for adults to share with children. What sets it apart from other how-to books on the subject is Lovejoy's artistic, whimsical, holistic approach. She gives guidelines and instructions for a backyard moon garden that attracts night creatures, thematic suggestions for a pizza garden and a pumpkin patch, and includes the smallest of gardens in a discarded glove or boot. The author's list of top 20 plants for kids will get youngsters and their parents raring to dig. While some of the recommended plants are unusual, a generous resource list complete with addresses, phone numbers, and Web sites should make ordering easy. Other novel, thrifty advice includes how to harvest seeds and how to make your own seed tape with toilet paper, flour paste, and seeds. The sunny illustrations, informative sidebars, and nuggets of wisdom illuminate the text. Readers can almost picture Mother Nature leaning over Lovejoy's shoulder advising: "Don't forget herbal remedies" (she doesn't) or "Do include craft ideas" (she does-from a prosaic worm box to fanciful dream pillows).
Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Columbus Dispatch by Nancy Gilson
"This book should help launch children on a sunny, fruitful gardening experience."

Customer Reviews

Projects to Cultivate Wonder
I took this book out from the library, hoping to find some ideas for gardening projects I could do with my young children. I was not disappointed! Even though we have a very small yard, I got lots of ideas on things we can grow together--not so much from the main part of the book, but from the chapter in the beginning which lists and describes plants which bring children delight. The author truly makes you think about plants and gardens from a child's point of view.

The main part of the book has sections detailing large scale gardening projects. They are delightful and imaginative. I especially loved the ideas for the Sunflower House, the Snacking and Sipping Garden, and for the Garden of Giants. Really fun stuff! If we are ever fortunate enough to have a home with a large yard, I will certainly be buying this book so that we can have fun trying out some of the projects.

In all, I highly recommend this book to any parent or grandparent who has the desire to garden with the children in their life. Anybody, even those with small yards, will find exciting ideas in here. You don't have to have gardening experience either--the instructions are fairly detailed.

A wonderful book!

Gardening - an act of faith in the planet
Nothing takes the sting out of winter like planning a garden. And if you have children, or have the prospect of rounding up a few on loan when spring comes, this book will warm you all the way through. Author Sharon Lovejoy (SUNFLOWER HOUSES: INSPIRATION FROM THE GARDEN - A BOOK FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR GROWN-UPS; and TROWEL AND ERROR: OVER 700 TIPS, REMEDIES AND SHORTCUTS FOR THE GARDENER) gave us a treasure trove of ideas for good "clean" fun in her 1991 classic, ROOTS, SHOOTS, BUCKETS & BOOTS: GARDENING TOGETHER WITH CHILDREN.

Lovejoy gives detailed directions for a number of garden projects that kids are sure to love, from a Pizza Patch to a Sunflower House to a Flowery Maze. While her garden is in California, I think most of her planting suggestions would work in my colder zone. She weaves in snippets of poetry, folklore, mythology, and of course some basic botany and horticulture. Pure magic! What child could resist a mini-garden planted in an old boot or glove? or the scarecrow and worm box projects? or Mother Nature's Tea Party? Nature-based crafts and activities abound. Children are too often alienated from the wonders of nature -- and doesn't the future of the planet depend on their connection with its simple bounty?

Do choose your plants carefully to avoid toxic elements, and supervise in accordance with the youngsters' ages. And if you live in the Southern hemisphere, remember that when you stand in your garden at noon the shadows point south, not north. Whether you're an experienced gardener or a novice, all you need to know is here in Lovejoy's charmingly illustrated, jam-packed book. Recommended if you want to unleash your creativity and delight a child -- or yourself. I've been reacquainting myself with this old friend because it's on my Christmas list for the nieces and nephews. Five stars and highly recommended.

Linda Bulger, 2008

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.