My Backyard Garden [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Carol Lerner (Author)

Book Description

This easy-to-follow, fully illustrated handb ook aims to help youngsters enjoy the pleasures of gardening , whether they have a green thumb or not. '

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?The picture-book format of this title belies its thoroughness, but as soon as readers open it, the riches begin to appear. Lerner uses her background in botany and botanical illustration to provide an additional dimension to the adventure of starting one's own vegetable garden. Readers are instructed on how to choose a site, prepare the ground, make a plan, select plants and seeds, and deal with pests and problems. Two different plans are offered, varying in size and kinds of vegetables; they are shown in both spring and summer, since crops are planted at different times. After the preparation is discussed there is a procedural chapter for each month, March through October. In April, for instance, the specific vegetable plants and their parts are described and shown in meticulous watercolor and pencil illustrations. The specific pests and weeds that may appear, as well as how to recognize them and deal with them without chemicals, are discussed. Difficulties are not minimized, but by the end of the book, readers are likely to be ready for the challenge of growing their own food and learning about the related flora and fauna. Marjorie Waters's The Victory Garden Kids' Book (Globe Pequot, 1994) is also excellent; it includes more vegetables but fewer weeds and pests. Having both books would be just right.?Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. In this large-size picture book, Lerner offers both inspiration and plenty of practical advice for children who might like to plant a vegetable garden in the backyard. After an introductory chapter on gardening basics--types of soil and seed catalogs, etc.--she gives two sample garden plans, which she then follows over the course of a typical gardening season. Each garden has two crops, with spring vegetables, such as peas and lettuce, succeeded by summer plantings of tomatoes and peppers. An elegant book design and Lerner's delicately detailed watercolors, complete with hand-lettered labels, make this a pleasure to read as well as a solid source of information. Gardeners who also enjoy birds might want to take a look at Lerner's Backyard Birds of Summer (1996). Susan Dove Lempke

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688147550
• ISBN-13: 978-0688147556
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,289,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Backyard Garden, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Backyard Garden (Hardcover)

Attractive watercolor illustrations and a thorough, well-organized text make this an excellent introduction to gardening. The author covers everything from garden layout to month-by-month care and quietly promotes poison-free pest control. Includes an index and a helpful guide to finding local resources.

5.0 out of 5 stars good book, August 30, 2011

By 

J.L.M. Inman (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Backyard Garden (Hardcover)

I got this book from the library and then ordered it. It has good step by step examples for starting a garden. It has instructions for what to do on a monthly basis. It has pictures of good bugs and bad bugs. It's great for children and beginners in the garden.

5.0 out of 5 stars For the vegetable gardener, November 9, 2002

By 

Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Backyard Garden (Library Binding)

A great little book, with attractive, accurate, informative, full color illustrations depicting various plants, gardening tools, garden plot layouts and much, much more.

This is a handy little book, well-printed and edited, on calendered (slick) paper and with a hard, durable cover. Among other things, it tells you a simple method to test your soil that you can do yourself, to tell you whether your soil is clay, silt or sand.

Every gardener should have a copy of this one in his or her library.

Joseph Pierre