Parents' Guide to

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Evocative gardening book makes nature come alive.

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UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT is a marvel of language and illustration. The sing-song rhymes and evocative mixed-media illustrations make nature pop with every season. For preschoolers or kindergartners who have a new understanding of the exciting new world around them, the language here crackles, and the illustrations show the teeming life in the dirt they're just beginning to understand. It also fosters an excitement about the natural phases of the seasons and reinforces the idea that everything has its own unique pattern and cycle in the world.

There's a strongly positive intergenerational relationship of mentoring and respect between elder and granddaughter, as well as an enthusiasm for nature, gardening, outside play, and respect for all living things that kids will find contagious.

Book Details

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