The Soil in Jackie's Garden

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Spring has sprung and school is almost out. That means it is time for gardening. There is so much to teach young ones in the garden. Today I get to share a new book (out today) that teaches about the soil and plant cycles. The book is The Soil in Jackie's Garden by Peggy Thomas with pictures by Nelly Daggett. This book is recommended for ages 6 to 8. 

From the Publisher:

Join Jackie and her garden friends in this charming picture book as they discover the wonders of gardening, soil secrets, and the magic of composting

Jackie and her garden friends embrace the joys of planting a garden, nurturing and harvesting their own food, and recycling scraps to compost, ensuring that the magical cycle of growth and sustainability continues anew.

Science facts about soil, plants, pollinators, decomposers, and more are included on every spread.

A fantastic book to engage young readers in becoming environmental stewards, learning how to care for a garden, understanding a plant life cycle, discovering the power of pollinators and the importance of composting.

Written in the cumulative style of "The House that Jack Built," this playful celebration of how things grow, return to the earth, and grow again will inspire young readers to try their hands at gardening and composting.

Back matter includes information on the soil cycle and how to make a compost pile.

From Me:

This book has fun words that repeat the previous part of the story. Then it has information about the various parts of the story, soil, worms, seeds, etc. The story can be read without the information for younger kids. For older kids the information will make the book more interesting. 

This book is fun and informative. It teaches kids the science behind plants and soil. It takes us from the make-up of soil to planting a seed to the plant growing and growing fruit and having it for a snack to composting the scraps. It is the perfect book to teach kids about the growth cycle for a child. It is also the perfect book to introduce the planting cycle with younger kids. 

The characters in the book are diverse in age and race. It seems that Jackie's garden is in a community garden. I love how the pictures show the underground and above ground and make the growing cycle fun. At the end of the book are pages that summarize the cycle of soil as well as information on starting a compost pile. What a great book for the spring!!

Looking for ideas to go with this book--the obvious is to plant a seed, but also you can show what happens underground with an experiment like this one.  Happy planting!