IN MY GARDEN: A Child's Gardening Book

A loose, somewhat cartoony invitation to gardening--mixing general and step-by-step tips, and pointers on specific plants. Thus, one double-page spread describes how to grow a tomato plant from seed in a container; later, there are instructions for transplanting seedlings as well as for planting seeds outdoors. The catalogue of ""favorite vegetables to grow""--beans, carrots, lettuce, peppers, radishes, zucchini--could be tempting in itself. The ""friends of the garden that help to keep out pests"" make for an amusing composite, with woodpecker, oriole, flicker, brown thrasher, and owl all perching on a scarecrow (while praying mantis, wasp, and other insects play supporting roles). It's all very cheery, unto the compostpile message from an overalled rabbit and a jack o' lantern. Not for the serious-minded, and not systematic, but an agreeable extra to pour over--not unlike the seed and plant catalogues.