I partially enjoyed this book. I liked the author's main idea, to inform readers of how to create and sustain different types of gardens, as well as enthusiastic tone the author employed towards the subject. I did not like the organization of this book and felt that it contained too many different ideas.
The author expressed expert knowledge about gardening in this book. Although this is considered a gardening book for children, I learned a great amount of new information regarding gardening. For example, I was unaware that certain grasses can be planted and then enjoyed by pets. Lucerne grass for dogs, cat grass for cats, snow barley for rabbits, and timothy meadow grass for guinea pigs.
I found the book to contain a vast amount of information regarding gardening. The amount of information was so immense that it became difficult to process the information in the book. The book lacked an adequate means to organize all of the information which made it difficult to follow and read. For example, two consecutive pages in this book contain information regarding the duties of a gardener, a detailed timeline of a growing cycle with individual illustrations and explanations from seed stage to germination, to sprouting, the seedling, to vegetative, to flowering, and fruiting. The pages also include a five step diagram accompanied with photographs of how to make a homemade propagator (without explaining what a propagator is) as well as a "Did you know?" fact about annual and perennial plants. I feel that the unorganized flow in this book detracted from its overall effectiveness as an informational text. I also feel that the phrase "sometimes less is more" absolutely applies to this book! ( )

Summary:
Ready Set Grow is a book filled with gardening based projects for children to follow. The book is broken into two sections which are flowers and unusual plants and vegetables, herbs and fruits. Under each section children can find up to fifteen different activities.

Review:
Great book for children interested in gardening and nature. Each activity has a listed amount of time that would be necessary to complete the entire project. This is a great tool for parents or teachers to use in order to plan when and where each activity can take place. The page layouts resemble that of a cook book with detailed instructions of the materials needed and the procedures. Each page is extremely colorful and draws your eye to the topic of the activity. ( )

At the beginning of the summer, I took a look at three gardening books for kids, including Wildlife Gardening, put together by DK Publishing. I've discovered another DK Publishing gardening book which is similar to Wildlife Gardening, but much better!

Ready Set Grow, while as crammed full of projects of WG, has a much more readable design and a good logical progression of projects. It begins with a table of contents which lists the time needed for each project next to the title and also includes a brief note on the American Horticultural Society and their contact information.

The book begins with a general introduction to gardening; looking at the space you have available, buying healthy plants, and knowing what will grow in your space. The first projects show a colorful timeline of how seeds sprout and includes instructions for making a simple seed propagator. This project is followed by tips on "green" gardening and how to water and mulch, along with instructions on building a self-irrigation system. The book moves on into making fun containers, garden decorations, and stepping stones.

The second section starts with a calendar for organizing the following growing projects and a list of quick-to-grow plants. The following growing projects are all flowers - lots of simple and fun ideas here! The third section covers vegetables, herbs, and fruit and also starts with a calendar. The projects start out simple and quick, and get more complex and time-intensive until you come to the Pizza Garden.

The book finishes with instructions on collecting and storing seeds, a glossary, and index. My only quibble is the egregious suggestion of decoracting your cacti garden with plastic figures of cowboys and Indians - I'm pretty sure this comes from a British consciousness, since many of the projects have that flavor - do currants even grow over here?

Verdict: A colorful and fun gardening book

ISBN: 978-0756658878; Published February 2010 by DK; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Ready Set Grow! New York: DK, 2010. Print.

“Reading Set Grow!” by DK Publishing is suitable for the ages of about 7 to 10. This awarding winning book contains a large variety of gardening projects that children would really enjoy and they would be able to do most fairly easily. However a few of the activities require a bit of adult explanation or help. (One instance in which some adult assistance would be required is in the preparation of preparing garden boxes). Some examples of projects are creating containers for plants, making “Flowerpot people”, planting poppies, as well as making a “fairy ring” and “Herbal sun tea”. The content is certainly detailed, incorporating most of the necessary facts.

The language used in “Ready Set Grow!” is both vivid and interesting. An example of the latter is: “Green ones, yellow ones, purple ones – who knew there was magic in a bucket of beans?” (DK Publishing, 68). In addition to this the information is clear and well structured, with relevant use of subheadings. Furthermore the book contains an easy to use contents, glossary and index.

Every page of “Ready Set Grow!” is filled with stunning, vibrant photos, which are set out in a step by step format, clearly depicting each of the projects. Children from a range of cultural backgrounds are pictured in a lot of the photos. The photos also have appropriate labeling. ( )