By Kate Messner, Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Chronicle Books; Reprint Edition 2017
Picture Book, 56 Pages, Ages 5 – 8
“Explore the secret realm beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Follow a young girl and her grandmother on a journey through the year planning, planting, and harvesting their garden – and learn about what’s happening in the dirt to help make it all happen.”
An exuberant look into the community that creates a garden!
We can all see what goes on above the ground in the garden. Seeds appear, flowers, fruit, birds, bees, bugs, snakes and more. But what happens under that dirt? This book addresses that with a play on ‘up and down.’ Each sequence of the story starts with “Up in the garden,” and ends with “Down in the dirt.” It’s a really great way to solidify that what’s happening up above can’t be without what’s going on underground. It’s a great emphasis on the complexities of the garden ecosystem.
With many secrets waiting to be discovered this book is full of entertaining and educational facts and inspires a love of nature. The back of the book has a glossary of the critters appearing throughout the pages from earthworms and ants to tomato hornworms and more. The Author’s Note also emphasizes the ‘community’ of the garden and that all of these entities work together to create a thriving ecosystem.
This book is very well done, the printing is high quality, it’s a large book with great illustrations. It’s terrifically educational and is done without being pedantic or heady. It’s joyful and informational at the same time.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner receives 5 stars from this reviewer.