Pasta Sauce!: Grow Your Own Ingredients

K-Gr 4—Kids interested in digging into this project will need to bring an engaged grown-up along for the ride, but it shouldn't be hard to find one. Adorable, friendly vegetables take readers on a chapter-by-chapter guide through each ingredient in the garden: tomatoes, onions, basil, peppers, and garlic. Supplies for growing each one are laid out, and step-by-step instructions follow, with a few hilarious veggie jokes interspersed throughout. The introduction provides a "rough guide" for when to sow and harvest, but makes the wise recommendation to check the local weather. Some terms are defined while others, like "worm tea" and "wormery" are not. The pasta-sauce recipe is a little vague at times, using "about ten big handfuls" and "a bunch" as measurements. Each step is illustrated with photos and includes instructions for kids to cut onions and garlic, but recommend asking an adult to help cut the pepper. In spite of a few inconsistencies, this is a fun concept in an attractive package that could get kids growing and cooking their own food.—Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN