The Little Gardener: Helping Children Connect with the Natural World

The Little Gardener is a tutorial and philosophy guide aimed at resource/teachers/families for facilitating a love of gardening in young people by allowing them to experience gardening and to a lesser degree journaling and expression. Due out 10th March 2020 from Princeton Architectural Press, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

There are very few small kids who don't love planting seeds, digging in dirt, looking at insects & plant life, and generally spending time jumping in puddles and getting muddy. The trick is to get them attached to a lifetime of discovery before they get addicted to strictly indoor computer pursuits. This is the book for resource people (teachers, helpers, parents, extended family) to help them help kids to plan, execute, and enjoy a garden and hopefully build a habit of both experiencing and documenting the process of gardening and interacting with nature.

This book is a well written and accessible tool with concrete and specific exercises which are also *fun*. They're arranged logically in order of process: planning and dreaming, putting the plan into action, support, and fulfillment. Documentation in the form of journaling is encouraged throughout. There is a chapter especially focused on the role of the facilitating adult (teacher, parent, etc) which provides some creative tips for making gardening education both fun and rewarding for learners. There are a lot of good resources for helping educate kids and educating *ourselves* to provide guidance without just taking over.

The book is packed with exercises and sidebar tips which are appealing and practical. The line drawn illustrations are whimsical and fun. There is a good bibliography, links, and tips section, but no index.

Four stars. This would make a good selection for a library or classroom, community garden, youth centre, etc.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes