DIG IN!

Dig In! by Cindy Jenson-Elliott with illustrations by Mary Peterson, is a story to dig your fingers (and toes!) into. A curious child’s hand reaches into a budding garden to discover life and movement beneath the surface. It’s a toddler-friendly tale of exploration in your own backyard that ends in a squishy, muddy, fun time.

Peterson’s illustrations, linoleum block prints on paper with digital touch ups, flawlessly complement Jenson-Elliott’s easy-flowing story. With text simple enough to pass for an early reader and eye-catching, double page spread illustrations, Dig In! is an excellent choice for a young storytime crowd.

Round out the garden theme with more toddler favorites: Lois Ehlert’s Growing Vegetable Soup and Anna McQuinn’s Lola Plants a Garden.

Ages 2+

FUN IN THE GARDEN

Colorful illustrations entice us to stop awhile in Isabella's very lovely garden. The author has written a sweet cumulative tale about what happens to a garden all year long from the "seeds that slept in the soil" to the "flowers that waltz in the wind." A nice book to share with a single child or a group with the added bonus of a possible game to see if listeners can remember what happened next in Isabella's Garden by Glenda Millard.

For Preschool to 2nd grade. 

HAUNTED IN JAPAN

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan

Hannah's mom decides to do research on Japanese horticulture ( fancy word for gardening) and is dragging Hannah with her. Staying with old acquaintances may be fun for her mom, but she doesn't know these people. The worst of it is that Hannah thinks the house is haunted! Fantastic! She's living in a foreign country with strangers being haunted by a little boy from hundreds of years ago. Yes, she will certainly never forget this trip.

For readers in grade 6 & up.