Design Your Own Pond and Water Garden

November 1, 2008
Gr 2-6-While this series is consistent in terms of presentation and design, it is very uneven when it comes to project difficulty and writing clarity. Children are likely to experience the most success in both engaging with the material and completing the projects from "Flower Garden", "Vegetable Garden", "Butterfly Garden", and "Perennial Garden". All the tasks delineated are well within the scope of childrens abilities, and the items needed to complete them are not hard to find. At the other end of the spectrum are "Landscape Design", which calls for benches and birdbaths that can be very pricey, and "Pond and Water Garden", which requires readers to determine the configuration of a hole in which to place a liner and then dig a massive hole; these could not possibly be done without adult assistance and supervision. While all six books have excellent full-color photography and include charts and diagrams to assist in the completion of the projects, individual titles should be considered instead of the whole set.

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.