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It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden
“This fun and inspiring season-by-season description of a school gardening project could encourage others to repeat this extraordinary experience.” — School Library Journal
Want to grow what you eat and eat what you grow? Visit this lively, flourishing school-and-community garden and be inspired to cultivate your own. Part celebration, part simple how-to, this close-up look at a vibrant garden and its enthusiastic gardeners is blooming with photos that will have readers ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in.
Want to grow what you eat and eat what you grow? Visit this lively, flourishing school-and-community garden and be inspired to cultivate your own. Part celebration, part simple how-to, this close-up look at a vibrant garden and its enthusiastic gardeners is blooming with photos that will have readers ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2013
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
George Ancona
133 books6 followersGeorge Ancona was an author and photographer who has published more that one hundred books, some of them bilingual. He was known for his exquisite photography and close-up looks at a variety of cultural subjects. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 13, 2021
It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden Delightful. Nothing new under the sun here, but I just really loved the warm feeling of community that this school shares and it's so evident in the photographs of the students at work and in the charming illustrations of the vegetables created by the children. Follows a year in the garden from preparations for spring planting through to growing and harvest and finally preparing the garden for winter. Includes not only the actual plants growing but the ways in which the students grow through the process and I loved the many community days where the garden served as a springboard for art, music and cooking. I know this school looks like paradise to many and my heart ached wishing that every student could have the opportunity to learn and grow in their own school garden. My five-year-old loved this book, too.
April 23, 2013
This handsome photo-essay by George Ancona would be perfect for a classroom planning to develop their own communal garden. There is enough information that many classes could follow the directions and hope for a successful result--especially if they are located in the Southwest, since this book was photographed in New Mexico. No author's note, unfortunately, but ther is a list of recommended books, including Max's Magic Seeds by Geraldine Elschner, and A Fruit Is a Suitcase for Seeds by Jean Richards. Even if a real garden is out of reach for your class, this book might be a welcome addition to your garden unit. Lexile measure is AD910.
July 15, 2013
It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden by George Ancona is a warm and delightful picture book about a school garden at the Acequia Madre elementary school in Santa Fe. Ancona provides both color photographs and samples of the children's art work to document the changes that occur with the seasons.
You will be amazed by this school garden. Besides the vegetable and herb plots, there is a greenhouse, an outdoor classroom, a compost heap, and a cistern to collect water from the school roof. They even have a traditional oven, or horno, to cook some of the vegetables at harvest. In addition to teachers and parents, several volunteers work with the children. On community days everyone comes to help, including grandparents, siblings and friends. People bring musical instruments to play while the workers rest. It is obviously a focal point of the surrounding neighborhood.
Reading the book, it becomes apparent that the sky is the limit with the projects that can be tied to the garden. One fabulous idea: the teachers have put up an easel with paper so the children can write about and draw their observations about what is blooming, growing and being harvested each day. A teacher shows insects pollinating plants by releasing butterflies the children raised in the classroom. Art class is held outside using natural materials from the garden. Children learn about plant structures, growth and life cycles first hand.
The book does have one common error (an irritant to an entomologist like myself). The author writes about the butterflies (the photographs show painted lady butterflies) emerging from "cocoons." Technically a cocoon is the silk wrapping that a moth larva makes around itself before it pupates. The resting or pupal stage of a butterfly is called chrysalis. That should not detract, however, from the overall positive aspects of the book.
Children are likely to enjoy reading this book and learning about plants, life cycles and the critters that can be found in the garden. Hopefully It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden will inspire many more schools to incorporate a garden space. Besides the tangible benefits of healthy outdoor activity and an introduction to fresh vegetables, the children have likely received many intangible benefits that they will carry with them throughout their lives. It is a garden growing young minds and bodies as well as plants.
For my full review, see Wrapped In Foil
You will be amazed by this school garden. Besides the vegetable and herb plots, there is a greenhouse, an outdoor classroom, a compost heap, and a cistern to collect water from the school roof. They even have a traditional oven, or horno, to cook some of the vegetables at harvest. In addition to teachers and parents, several volunteers work with the children. On community days everyone comes to help, including grandparents, siblings and friends. People bring musical instruments to play while the workers rest. It is obviously a focal point of the surrounding neighborhood.
Reading the book, it becomes apparent that the sky is the limit with the projects that can be tied to the garden. One fabulous idea: the teachers have put up an easel with paper so the children can write about and draw their observations about what is blooming, growing and being harvested each day. A teacher shows insects pollinating plants by releasing butterflies the children raised in the classroom. Art class is held outside using natural materials from the garden. Children learn about plant structures, growth and life cycles first hand.
The book does have one common error (an irritant to an entomologist like myself). The author writes about the butterflies (the photographs show painted lady butterflies) emerging from "cocoons." Technically a cocoon is the silk wrapping that a moth larva makes around itself before it pupates. The resting or pupal stage of a butterfly is called chrysalis. That should not detract, however, from the overall positive aspects of the book.
Children are likely to enjoy reading this book and learning about plants, life cycles and the critters that can be found in the garden. Hopefully It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden will inspire many more schools to incorporate a garden space. Besides the tangible benefits of healthy outdoor activity and an introduction to fresh vegetables, the children have likely received many intangible benefits that they will carry with them throughout their lives. It is a garden growing young minds and bodies as well as plants.
For my full review, see Wrapped In Foil
July 18, 2013
This photo essay about a community garden started by a third-grade teacher in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is likely to provide a blueprint for other teachers and schools who would like to start their own community garden. The book follows the nurturing of seeds that are then planted in the spring and then the care required by the garden until it is ready to yield produce. Even after everything has been harvested, there is still work to be done, and the children must prepare the garden for winter and the next growing season. I was particularly impressed by how the entire community got involved in the project, even college students, and how many of the children got the chance to try new vegetables or recipes using the garden's offerings for the first time.
May 15, 2014
I wish all schools had gardens. Talk about real-world lessons -- and not just about science, but about community building and working together for the common good.
April 8, 2016
Twin Text
Grigsby, S. (2010). In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Park Ridge, IL: Whitman and Company.
Rationale
This non-fiction text was an easy pick due to a connection to our school. Some of our kindergarten classes have their own garden. They start the plants inside and then move them outside. I chose the fictional text because, being about Dr. Carver, it appears to be a non-fiction. I wanted to be sure that students learned not to just assume they know the genre of a book because of the title or cover.
Text Structures
The structure for this text is both sequential and descriptive.
Text Features
There are only a few text features in this book. They are photographs, illustrations (drawings) and labels.
Strategy Application
I would use the non-fiction text as a connection to the garden at our school. Possibly, after reading, my class could help the kindergarteners with their garden. The fictional text I would use during the reading block. We have been discussing genres and identifying them. This type of text is good to show that determining genre is not always as easy as it first appears.
Grigsby, S. (2010). In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Park Ridge, IL: Whitman and Company.
Rationale
This non-fiction text was an easy pick due to a connection to our school. Some of our kindergarten classes have their own garden. They start the plants inside and then move them outside. I chose the fictional text because, being about Dr. Carver, it appears to be a non-fiction. I wanted to be sure that students learned not to just assume they know the genre of a book because of the title or cover.
Text Structures
The structure for this text is both sequential and descriptive.
Text Features
There are only a few text features in this book. They are photographs, illustrations (drawings) and labels.
Strategy Application
I would use the non-fiction text as a connection to the garden at our school. Possibly, after reading, my class could help the kindergarteners with their garden. The fictional text I would use during the reading block. We have been discussing genres and identifying them. This type of text is good to show that determining genre is not always as easy as it first appears.
July 9, 2013
I appreciated this book one a few levels... one as a new gardener, one as a mother, and yet another as a teacher. In this book we learned about an elementary school in Santa Fe where the children run outside not to play, but to work in the school's garden! We learned a variety of gardening techniques (such as the traditional Native American way to garden- the three sisters garden), but we learned more than that. We were able to see how not just the students took part in this garden and its maintenance, but how the community rallied around it. Even when school is not is session there are still parents and other volunteers who help take care of the garden! How cool is that? I loved that when all of the vegetables were harvested, the community came together to eat the produce in a variety of ways including pizza made in a brick oven that the students made! This is a great book to show a sense of community, but also for schools to read and get ideas for ways to improve community involvement. Teaching in a smaller district I can definitely see where this would work for us!
June 12, 2014
Last year I read this review http://www.nonfictiondetectives.com/2... on the blog The Nonfiction Detectives. From their review I believed that this would be an excellent book for our school since we have a school garden also. I immediately purchased it, but didn't get around to reading it until this week. It's Our Garden combines simple yet informative text with fantastic photos and crayon illustrations created by the students. It is a gorgeous book that demonstrates the work, benefits and excitement of having a school garden. I can see this being a great introduction for our younger students before they begin working in the garden. It would pair well with Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table.
Original review posted at http://readingtl.blogspot.com/2014/06...
Original review posted at http://readingtl.blogspot.com/2014/06...
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July 11, 2017Reviewed by Holly Scudero for San Diego Book Review
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Acequia Madre Elementary School has a garden that everyone helps cultivate. With the help of teachers, parents, and a few volunteers, kids at the school get to spend part of their day learning how to make food grow. There is always so much to do! In spring, the students look through seed catalogs and figure out what to plant. They build a compost pile. They arrange the garden beds and plant seeds. They tend the plants. The garden is filled with all kinds of insects and animals, too.
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Acequia Madre Elementary School has a garden that everyone helps cultivate. With the help of teachers, parents, and a few volunteers, kids at the school get to spend part of their day learning how to make food grow. There is always so much to do! In spring, the students look through seed catalogs and figure out what to plant. They build a compost pile. They arrange the garden beds and plant seeds. They tend the plants. The garden is filled with all kinds of insects and animals, too.
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
March 1, 2014
This book is really good, in an inspiring sort of way, not just a kids book, but would also be great for a school library, and gardening communities. I was intending to read this book to my children to encourage them to get excited about gardening. It's March in Cleveland and we have 12" of snow in the forecast for the weekend I have sprig fever. We are planning our garden, but after reading this book and answering the questions of my 4 year old I wanted to get more serious about living simply and intentionally.
December 6, 2014
It's Our Garden is a book about a school garden that the students help to build. It shows the different pictures of the plants that they are planting, the discussion about the garden with the students, and what they do with the plants. This book helps to produce an understanding about the work that goes into making a garden. The close up pictures that show what the seeds and plants look like help to show the reader the look and size the seeds. This book helps to put into perspective what is in garden and the work that it takes.
August 21, 2016
Fantastic nonfiction to share - will inspire students to tend, expand, or start their school's garden! Ancona searched for just the right school garden to feature and found one that exemplifies the multimodal learning of an outdoor classroom. His beautiful photos depict the diverse plants and equally diverse children learning from teachers and nature. Their drawings, signs, writing, and diagrams add visual interest - and demonstrate "rigor." Anyone looking to start a garden in their school should give this book to their principal or superintendent!
May 4, 2013
This is an excellent book for plant cycles and seeds in an elementary school. The book follows through photographs and words a school garden created in New Mexico. The students plant, care for, harvest and prepare f
The garden for winter. Students will enjoy seeing children their own age growing plants. The book also mentions the use of butterflies and the Native American tradition of planting the three sisters plants.
The garden for winter. Students will enjoy seeing children their own age growing plants. The book also mentions the use of butterflies and the Native American tradition of planting the three sisters plants.
February 9, 2016
This book lays out exactly what I hope to build our own small library garden into. They grow plants, release butterflies, feed the birds, make adobe bricks, and soooooo much more. Patience has never been my strong suit but if I can grow one crop to start with I will consider that a victory. If you are planning a similar activity this book is written in a simple enough fashion to be a good introduction for the kids.
July 2, 2012
The best introduction to a school garden in action can be found in these real-life pictures and pared down text. Recommended for educators interested in pursuing the joys of a school garden and as a tool to convince the administration that this is a good idea. The book explores the many activities and social lessons that can be drawn from the experience.
August 17, 2014
Colorful photographs and clear texts chronicles a year in the life of an elementary school garden in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Students help with all types of work, from composting soil to planting seeds, observing growth to making adobe bricks. Perfect to help plant dreams for communities wanting to create school gardens.
January 8, 2013
This book tells the story of how a school garden was create and the students that are responsible for its care. I love how the book uses real life images to tell the story and support the text. This would be a great addition to any STEM school library.
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January 12, 2016It’s Our Garden provides an overview of how an elementary school in started and now maintains their garden. Ancona is an award-winning photographer who provides readers with a glimpse into the workings of this school garden throughout the four seasons. IL K-3 Lexile Level 910
June 17, 2013
Great book. It shows all the work that goes into gardening with kids, and I especially like that the garden isn't perfect or neat, but wild, messy, dirty and real. It's also a plus that so many different garden ideas are presented.
July 28, 2013
Author/photographer George Ancona by following seasonal changes brings to readers the entire experience of creating and maintaining a school garden. Students, teachers and community members all have a vested interest.
My full review: http://bit.ly/12Hgexf
My full review: http://bit.ly/12Hgexf
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December 10, 2013A story about the steps and precautions taken to build a school garden. It has information on how the garden grows and what is needed for it to happen.
Great for kids to read fbefore maybe starting their own garden.
Great for kids to read fbefore maybe starting their own garden.
March 29, 2016
Translation of the 2013 book It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden. Through photographs, children's drawings and clear descriptive text, Ancona tells of a Santa Fe elementary school gardening project. Includes bibliography and related web sites.
December 22, 2012
An attractive and informative photo essay about a community garden at a Santa Fe elementary school.
March 3, 2013
A photographic and textual chronicle of the tending and nurturing of a school's garden. Beautiful journey through the year. Inspirational. Resources in the back.
March 28, 2013
Love this - a school garden that the kids help plant and tend! Easy to read, and will definitely inspire many classes to try their hands at growing something.
April 15, 2013
Read our review here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
May 6, 2013
JUVENILE, NONFICTION, NON-FICTION, COMMON CORE, GARDENS, SCIENCE
- Gardening
- School Gardens
- Informational Text
- Narrative Text
- Science
- Kindergarten - 4th Grade
- Gardening
- School Gardens
- Informational Text
- Narrative Text
- Science
- Kindergarten - 4th Grade
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2013
Great ideas and wonderful pictures to help guide one to begin their own community garden
August 8, 2013
A photo essay about an elementary school in New Mexico chronicles what happens throughout the year to the community garden they create and learn from. Informative and interesting read for all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews