Remember how you once could spend hours watching the busy, small inhabitants of your childhood garden--the ones that burrowed, scampered, or buzzed? Every young person is a naturalist at heart. And remember how exciting it was to have more colors than just the basic eight in the crayon box? Even the names of those wonderful hues were fun to say aloud: scarlet, sapphire, chartreuse. In The Little Green Island with a Little Red House, acclaimed illustrator, naturalist, and garden writer Sharon Lovejoy melds gentle rhyme and winsome illustrations to introduce young readers to the little beige bat, the scarlet newt in the yellow boot, and many other creatures that share her island home.

A magical book of adventures and appreciations written and illustrated by the author of Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots this award-winning title was published by a small press in Colorado in 1991. The reviews say it all: A fetching primer on gardening for children. . . . Irresistible (The Smithsonian). What child, or indeed adult, would not be delighted? Lovejoy's recollections are wonderful, as are the illustrations (Victoria). Celebrating the lore of the garden and the joy of interacting with nature, Sunflower Houses is a unique garden lover's miscellany, a collection of memories, poems, activities, garden plans, crafts, botanical riddles, stories, games, and planting projects. There are inspirations for a Floral Clock Garden, A Child's Own Rainbow, Faerie Tea Parties, and, of course, the Sunflower House. Plus, from garden lovers, stories of favorite flowers. Throughout are the artist's warm and appealing watercolors of a life in gardening remembered.

Use favorite read-alouds to kick off hands-on activities that teach basic colors and shapes. Each developmentally appropriate lesson includes clear, easy-to-follow instructions for reading about, talking about and creating artwork that is all about these fundamentals of early childhood learning. Bonus section features simple scissor skills activities. Award certificates included too!

"Journey of an abused twelve-year-old white girl and an escaped slave girl who run away together and form a bond of friendship while seeking freedom"--