Linnea's Windowsill Garden (Linnea books) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Cristina Bjork (Author), Lena Anderson (Illustrator), Joan Sandin (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Linnea books

Linnea loves plants. She grows them all over her room - in pots, and crates, even in glass jars.
In this book, she takes you on a tour of her indoor garden. She tells you about her orange tree (and plantable pits and seeds, including melons, tomatoes, and grapes); she shows you how to take a cutting from a Busy Lizzie and how to trim an avocado plant.

And she teaches you what keeps plants satisfied: the art of watering properly (plants don't like standing with their feet in water) and fertilizing. And what to do when plants are attacked by whiteflies or other nasty bugs.

Linnea also makes garden-cress cheese (from homegrown cress, of course); discusses the pleasures and possible pitfalls of growing an amaryllis; and writes a plant newspaper, The Green Gazette.

Linnea's Windowsill Garden will informs and inspire anyone who wants to grow an indoor garden of their own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The heroine of Linnea in Monet's Garden returns with her own perspective on plantings, and offers an accessible guide to growing greens in small places. From an orange tree that started as a seed to garlic sprouts (from cloves placed in soil) to a silly game with plum pits and a suggestion for dyeing half a rose, Linnea has hints, step-by-step instructions and an occasional lesson in natural science offered by her friend Mr. Bloom. For all her enthusiasm, Linnea is wise enough to have realistic expectationsflowers don't always bloom by the book, and every now and then there may be setbacks. But her zeal is infectious; readers will be looking around the house for seeds they can press into soil or coax into germination. Anderson's two-color illustrations explicate the projects cleanly and clearly, giving gardeners an excellent idea of when to look for shoots and when to run for the insecticide. All ages.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4 This is fun! Bjork offers a lively, chatty romp through indoor gardening with a grinning Linnea as guide, and a grandfatherly Mr. Bloom offering steady advice when needed. Activities with seeds, cuttings, bulbs, and pits range from the simple (planting lemon seeds in a peat pellet) to the complex (bringing an amaryllis bulb out of dormancy to bloom and back again). One of the best activities is mixing plaster of Paris with split pea seeds and observing which one will break out first (the winner swelled up and broke out in two hours). Possible problems and pests are discussed, and the recommended organic controls of the common insects likely to attack indoor plants are a good beginning for first-time gardeners. The drawings show exactly what the text says to do, plus they are charming. These activities are similar to the indoor plant activities found in Leutscher's Flowering Plants (Watts, 1984), but with more of them, plus recipes and trivia facts about gardening. Frances E. Millhouser, Arlington County Department of Libraries, Va.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 60 pages
• Publisher: R & S Books (October 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9129590647
• ISBN-13: 978-9129590647
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best kid's gardening book!, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Linnea's Windowsill Garden (Linnea books) (Hardcover)

This is a book about a girl named Linnea, the book is kind of like Linnea's garden journal because she is telling the reader what she did that day in her garden while explaining how you can plant those things too. It explains how to plant beans, avocado plants and lots more, It also tells you how to get rid of bugs, and it shows you different kinds of common bugs in gardens. This book really shows you that you don't need to have a big backyard to grow lots of plants. I really recomend this book

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardening fun with Linnea!, August 13, 2000

By 

"iloveprovence" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Linnea's Windowsill Garden (Linnea books) (Hardcover)

Linnea enjoyed Monet's garden so much, she decides to plant her own garden....inside... because she doesn't have land to garden outside! Linnea shows the reader her garden and then explains how the young reader can do the same thing. Linnea demonstrates everything the young gardener needs to know about growing a healthy, indoor garden. This book is a bequiling method of enticing children to develop a green thumb. Linnea is always fun and delightful!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book for older children, April 17, 2011

By 

S. Woodward (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linnea's Windowsill Garden (Linnea books) (Hardcover)

This is such a wonderfully fun, informative book that follows Linnea as she learns how to garden from her elderly neighbor, Mr. Bloom. The illustrations are great and the gardening tips are really good - I received this book when I was about 10 years old (many years ago) and I used one of the potted plant tips today! I would say this book is appropriate for children around 8-12.

I wish there were more children's books like this around, that recognize that children are inquisitive and receptive to gentle, fun learning. It's not necessary to be bombarded by silliness and vulgarity all the time.