"I will grow this flower," Fran said. "Grow flower." But the tips stayed tiny.Fran is determined to get her flower bud to grow. But what do you feed a fussy flower? Fran figures that the flower will flourish on her own favorite foods--pizza, spaghetti, even strawberry ice cream! But the stubborn bud refuses to bloom. Finally, Fran discovers that a meal fit for a girl isn't necessarily a meal fit for a flower. Just when she gets fed up, Mother Nature steps in with a smorgasborg of sunshine and rain...Won't Fran be surprised!

    . . and down in the dirt.Explore the secret world beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world—earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow—populated by all the animals that make a garden their home. With Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, you can explore the hidden world and many lives of a garden through the course of a year!• Follow a young girl and her grandmother as they 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• The stunning and bright illustrations feature dark earthy tones mixed with beautiful pops of color inspire a love of nature and encourage young minds to explore the world around them• Includes a glossary of animals that live in, around, and under the garden to enrich the reading experienceFans of A Seed is Sleepy, Spring is Here, and A Nest is Noisy will also love the outstanding illustrations and educational storyline in Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt."The harmonious relationships above and below ground, and those between the two, emphasize the complexities of the garden ecosystem, as well as the joys of sustained engagement with the land." —The Horn Book Magazine• Great read-aloud book for families and classrooms• Books for kids ages 5-8• Early elementary school books• Books for kindergarten to 3rd grade

    Includes a glossary of insects.

    For years, highways and skyscrapers have been built up around the family’s house where once there were hills and trees. Will they ever experience the natural world again?One day, an old woman offers Tokyo seeds, telling him they will grow into whatever he wishes. Tokyo and his grandfather are astonished when the seeds grow into a forest so lush that it takes over the entire city overnight. Soon the whole city has gone wild, with animals roaming where cars once drove. But is this a problem to be surmounted, or a new way of living to be embraced?With Tokyo Digs a Garden, Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka have created a thoughtful and inspiring fable of environmentalism and imagination.

    But the Munching Machine robots are on the job—it’s time to get cleaning! And after a whole lot of CRUNCHING, CHEWING, CHOMPING, SLURPING, and SWEEPING, what’s next? Time to get BUILDING, DIGGING, PLANTING, and DECORATING the new park for everyone to enjoy!Fun, rhyming text paired with irresistible robots and radiant results make this an engaging read-aloud that will inspire clean-up projects of all sizes.

    And Hen and her chicks are Hungry!Hen, Big Chick, and Middle Chick are no match for Dog. And Little Chick? Well, Little Chick is too little. Or is she?When you are small, you can also be brave and fast and resourceful, and -- as Little Chick discovers -- sometimes your family depends on you!

    With lovely language and a sly sense of humor, this beautiful picture book celebrates the tenacious temperaments of these pesky plants and is sure to have little ones chanting, “Way to go, weeds!”

    Just the right mix of colored vegetables make a delicious soup in this tasty introduction to colors, counting, and veggies.All you need is a pot, a spoon, an adult helper, and vegetables of many colors to make a very special soup—Every Color Soup! Learn colors and vegetable names in this bright and colorful picture book with minimal text perfect for the beginning reader. Jorey Hurley’s bright, graphic art and simple text make this vibrant book a perfect read-aloud for budding cooks and their families. This lively picture book also comes with a recipe!

    She knows their names. She knows when they lived. And she certainly knows what they ate. So when she meets Linus, a towering, toothy T. rex who prefers picking vegetables to preying on his herbivorous neighbors, she’s not sure what to think. Is something wrong with Linus? Or does Ruth Ann maybe, just maybe, not know everything there is to know about dinosaurs? Dino lovers young and old will delight in this picture book chock-full of prehistoric personality—and don’t forget to search for the naughty velociraptor duo hidden throughout the book!

    But when will the radiant butterfly appear again? Petr Horácek uses his trademark saturated hues and simple shapes to create an enticing view of the world of colors — and a peekaboo look at the slow-paced life abuzz in the backyard garden.

    One child experiences a flower with all five senses—from its color to its fragrance to the entire universe it evokes—revealing how a single flower can expand one's perspective in many ways.

    He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: "Why?" Carl's quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this earth to do, unlike the curious Carl. But it's not until the world around him has changed that Carl begins to realize everyone, no matter how small, makes a big difference just by being themselves.

    A celebration of the plants—and people—that grow and thrive in a busy community garden.A community garden unites children and neighbors in this celebration of all the things that grow there, from flowers and fruits to friendships.

    Chicken wants to help. But it seems like the only thing Chicken is good at is getting in the way.Then grasshoppers invade the pumpkin patch, and Earl and Pearl can do nothing to stop them. Suddenly it's up to Chicken to save the day!This funny and satisfying book is a delightful treat for children just starting to read.

    They scoop and hoist and push.But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.