Review Detail

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots is the most delightful book about gardening that I've read in a while.

Like learning from your elders, this book has an instructional narrative containing sections on recommended hardy plants, various gardens to grow (like the Pizza Patch or The Snacking and Sipping Garden), forts/teepees for your children to hideaway in by growing sunflowers or hollyhocks or morning glories, using assorted planters, many activities and even a few recipes and poems. Several of these projects are written in a larger scale, but could be downsized to fit the readers area.
The author's many years of personal experience, specifically with gardens and children, together, made everything seem so much more doable with everything else going on.

I love the vibrant colors and drawings throughout.
The illustrations are charming and lifelike, reminiscent of older hand-written field guides. These inspired my children to draw what they saw around them while working or playing outside.

While not written for every climate, this book certainly makes the concept of a garden more fun and less daunting for novice gardeners looking for inspiration.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots would make a wonderful baby shower gift or addition to a family bookshelf.