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Kate Messner

Christopher Silas Neal

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt: (Spring Books for Kids, Gardening for Kids, Preschool Science Books, Children's Nature Books) (Over and Under) Hardcover – Picture Book, March 3, 2015

by Kate Messner (Author), Christopher Silas Neal (Artist)

1,989 ratings

Part of: Over and Under Series (4 books)

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In this exuberant and lyrical follow-up to the award-winning Over and Under the Snow, discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves . . . 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 experience

Fans 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

Reading age

5 - 8 years
Print length

52 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Kindergarten - 3
Lexile measure

AD730L
Dimensions

8.38 x 0.5 x 12.38 inches
Publisher

Chronicle Books
Publication date

March 3, 2015
ISBN-10

1452119368
ISBN-13

978-1452119366
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From the Publisher


	Peek-a Who	Every Little Thing	One Love	Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt	Mix It Up!
Kids love:	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓


	Follow the Moon Home	Round is a Tortilla	In the Town All Year 'Round	TouchThinkLearn Numbers	A Rock is Lively
Kids love:	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—Beneath every garden lies a secret world down in the dirt. In this enchanting follow-up to Over and Under the Snow (Chronicle, 2011), Messner explores that underground realm. This yearlong adventure begins early in spring, with a young girl learning from her grandmother that the soil is still too cold and wet to begin planting. The pair make plans while earthworms and insects work in the dirt. As the year goes by, they tend to the garden, weeding, watering, and keeping away pests, and later harvesting vegetables. The illustrations are marked by rich brown earth tones, highlighted by brighter colors here and there (a red wheelbarrow, yellow boots) as the seasons reveal themselves slowly. Spreads detail the often unseen life all around the garden, such as a praying mantis that eats mosquitoes, pill bugs that chew through leaves, honeybees that pollinate flowers, and a garter snake that hunts grasshoppers. Neal effectively uses light and dark to show the contrast between night and day; an image of foraging rabbits by day is eventually replaced by a nighttime scene of skunks "[working] the night shift." Each page invites readers to linger over the quiet text, which gently moves the story along. Back matter includes an author's note and a complete listing of the many creatures mentioned throughout. VERDICT A beautiful, informative addition to any collection.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Review

"This beautifully illustrated work shines a light on life beneath the surface."--Modern Luxury: Manhattan

"Will have readers itching to get their hands dirty."--Baltimore Sun

"This is a really sweet book that explains how nature helps make a garden, with teamwork."--This Kid Reviews Books

"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

"Offers excellent coming attractions for what youngsters can expect when they try to grow something."--Reading Today

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; Illustrated edition (March 3, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 52 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1452119368
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1452119366
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 - 8 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD730L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.38 x 0.5 x 12.38 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #35,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Soil Gardening
- #10 in Children's Gardening Books (Books)
- #175 in Children's Multigenerational Family Life

Customer Reviews:
1,989 ratings

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About the author

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Kate Messner

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Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Rainforest, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, The Next President, and How to Read a Story; novels that tackle real-world issues like Chirp, Breakout, All the Answers, and The Seventh Wish; high-interest nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and the History Smashers series; the Fergus and Zeke easy readers; and the popular Ranger in Time chapter books about a time-traveling search and rescue dog.

Kate’s titles are frequently selected for One School, One Book and One School/One Author programs and other community-wide reads. Her books have been New York Times Notable, Junior Library Guild, IndieBound, and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selections. Her novel The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. won the E.B. White Read Aloud Medal, and her science picture books have been finalists for the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences/Subaru SB&F prize for excellence in science writing. In 2020, Kate was honored with New York’s Knickerbocker Award for creating a superior body of work supporting curriculum and educational goals.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Kate was a TV news reporter as well as a National Board Certified educator. She grew up in Medina, NY and graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Kate spent seven years working as a television news producer and reporter in Syracuse, NY and Burlington, VT before going back to school to earn a master’s degree in education for secondary-level English Language Arts. She taught middle school language arts for fifteen years before leaving the classroom to write full time but still spends much of her time in schools, working with kids as a visiting author.

Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is trying to summit all 46 Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines. Learn more at her website: www.katemessner.com and follow her on Twitter @katemessner.

Customer reviews

5 star		88%
4 star		9%
3 star		2%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Karen

Packed!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

I’m going to use this book in my K-2 Forest School classroom. So much to discover here! I had to order more of the series, as well as another one of this title, so my students could buddy read it together.

It is on the surface a simple story, but you can read it again and again just looking at the artwork.

How many invertebrates can you find? Can you draw a plant above and below the dirt? Draw/write about one thing that happens in each of the four seasons. Use play dough to make some of the creatures found in the book... or to make a model of a life cycle or a food chain you see. See what I mean? This book is packed! I don’t need textbooks in my classroom when books like this are so much more inspiring!
-Karen

70 people found this helpful

Helpful

Karate4566

4 Year Olds LOVE it! Great for kids who garden.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

I bought this book for my 4 year old twins since it is now time to start planting out garden. It has lovely illustrations and a cute story that takes you through the life cycle of the garden by season. The book seems more durable than most paperbacks with thicker pages and a more durable cover. I bought a second one as a gift for another child I liked it so much. You can't go wrong with this book!

25 people found this helpful

Helpful

Science lesson in poetry!

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is my new favorite book. I always try to get the kids nature books for Easter (and there are so many great ones) but right now this is my favorite! The beautifully composed story (to be clear it doesn’t rhyme- I call it poetry because the writing is just beautiful) is about a girl and her grandmother through a year- from planning a garden, through all the stages until the next winter. But there’s a catch! It alternates what they see above the ground with what is happening below the ground- all the bugs and creatures who live there and how they affect the soil and plants. The basic story is very simple and easy to understand- I read it to my almost 3yr old, and it kept her interest the whole time. But the skilled detail in all the descriptions of the insect world and living soil, predators and prey outside and how they all affect the environment, the care in tending a garden, just basic cause and effect, and the cyclical nature of.. nature- make this book a brilliant education on the natural world. The pictures on every page are also highly detailed and full of feeling. The ground is not a sterile environment- it’s intricate and full of all kinds of life with their own vital roles. I want my kids to understand this when they’re outside, and embrace it. Beautiful, beautiful book!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

AK Smith

Lovely learning in grandmother’s garden

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

This has a sweet, informational, multigenerational story as a girl goes through all four seasons in her grandmother’s garden. We bought two copies - one for home, and one to gift a friend. We included gardening tools, gloves & sunflower seeds, inspired by the grandmother’s reading hideout. It’s a fun read to inspire garden time, and the illustrated educational notes at the end made a fun seek and find as we looked back into the book to find the items on the pages.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazonlover

Wonderful perspective and learning!

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is the nicest paperback I’ve ever had! It’s so sturdy! This book is so good, the writing and the art are just so great! This is great to add to our homeschool library. Just so much learning from it and getting my child to view the world differently, thinking about all of the animals and bugs even underground. Highly recommend this and her other “over/under” books.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. F

great for little garden buddies

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

My kids love helping me in the garden, and love this book. It gives them some perspective on the cyclical nature of our seasons, and what happens in the garden at each time of year. It shows the interconnectedness of the lives of us, the bugs, the animals, and the plants. A beautiful book.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

EB800

Beautiful science book

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought this for my 2.5 yr old for her Easter Basket and love it! It's a great introduction to ecological science. We just started discussing this topic bc spring is here and she also received a little gardening set. We've only read it a couple of times and we stop and take our time to discuss the pictures and what's going on in addition to the text. It's definitely a book she'll be able to grow into.

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A work of art!

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020

Verified Purchase

Beautiful illustrations. My kids (age 3 and 4) were glued to this book upon arrival. I love it too. The writing is very poetic and a welcome change from the typical sing-song rhythm of most books for young children. The content is clearly well researched and interesting. All around a great purchase for a variety of ages! A true work of art that will last through the test of time. $8 well spent.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Z Whittaker

Beautiful book, great illustration.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

Beautiful book , lovely storyline about nature and gardening. Lovely illustrations, well worth it little girl loves it.

Nickymcchrystal

Lovely for little readers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Lovely book, have even gifted to another child. Lots of details for different plants and bugs through the seasons. It’s Australian which I didn’t realise so names reflect this but still lovely

Krisztina Bona

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Beautiful book.

april

delightful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

charming, sweet, informative

Miss B.

Different age kids can enjoy it and adults too

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is such a lovely book! Different age kids can enjoy it and adults too.

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