The Young Gardener Book

Clare Bradley, who is best known as the BBC's Blue Peter gardener, has written a beautifully-illustrated, sturdy, hardback guide to gardening from first principles. The well-written text and the vibrant illustrations make each page lively and colourful and they work hand-in-hand to make each page easy to follow--which is one of this book's major strengths. The Young Gardener is not a dry, technical manual, rather it is a practical, entertaining, inspiring and project-based handbook, that a young person could follow on their own. It has fun and creative projects, and is thoroughly modern and ecologically-wise in its approach. It leads the young gardener through, for example, making a mini-pond using an old washing-basket and a tub, designing and growing a potted nature reserve, ways to attract butterflies to your garden and even how to make a wormery! There is so much here that will cultivate a love of nature--and there is something for everyone, including drying flowers, all-about-Cacti, fruits, vegetables and herbs--and, as a bonus for parents, the activities are for all-seasons, not just spring and summer. There's oodles of fun to be had with this book, not to mention the thrill of watching your seedlings grow. There are not many gardening books around that are aimed at children, and Bradley has managed to combine easy, basic gardening for children from age seven with a careful selection of more detailed information--which really forms an introduction to botany--that will ensure that The Young Gardener also remains a favourite on an older child's bookshelf. This would make a wonderful present, even for a child who hasn't got access to an outside garden. (Ages 7 to 13).--Alison JardineRead More