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The Giving Tree
As I pondered which book has been the most influential in my life, I browsed the shelves in my home and thought back to the classics I read in highschool and college. There are many authors that have challenged and shaped me such as Katherine Patterson, Annie Dillard, Ernest Hemingway, Milan Kundera, Anne Lamott, and Thornton Wilder, but as I reached back further into childhood, one book that stands out and I’ve always considered as my favorite is Shel Silverstien’s The Giving Tree. Let me say upfront, it’s not a warm, inspiring book. I know it is read as a love story, but it’s more of a tragic romance. A quick…
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Books for boys
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through my affiliate links give me a small commission to help run this blog, but don’t cost you any extra. This week my oldest boy turned eight, and the one thing that I caught myself surprised by was the gifts drastically changed. While previous years have brought Lego kits, this year brought books and gift cards for books. In fact, he and his second grade friends take pleasure reading to school every day. As soon as they finish their classwork, they whip out those books and dive back in. They lend out their favorites to each other, make recommendations and talk about them. I…
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Spring Fling Giveaway: Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots
Today’s giveaway is a beautifully illustrated book by Sharon Lovejoy titled “Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children.” From her biography: For the first seven years of her life, Sharon Lovejoy was introduced to the wonders of nature by her Quaker grandmother Abigal Lovejoy, a botanist and an educator. As an adult, Sharon’s passion for the natural world guided her to become an award winning nature, gardening, and children’s book author and water color illustrator. This book brings a dash of whimsy, a sprinkle of adventure, and a whole cup full of imagination into the outdoor garden. Ms. Lovejoy provides recipes, planting plans, and activities for kids. The…
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An Introduction & Recommended Gardening Reading
I was raised to garden. My Mother was a gardener, my Grandmother, my Great Grandmother before her. I have fond memories of sitting on the porch swing at my Great Grandmother’s smelling the scent of Muscadine grapes wafting from her backyard vines. I am proud to carry on the tradition to my own daughter who at three has her own little bed filled with oregano, thyme and parsley that she picked out and planted herself. I have a particular affection for herbs and edibles and love to use them in homemade face masks and cooking. I hope to share these things with you, here on Love Sown. Below are some…
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Reading List for Gardening with Kids
I sometimes get emails from friends searching for ideas of things to do with their kids. Help! We’re bored! Who hasn’t experienced this? The Man-child used to get fussy before he could vocalize that he was bored and needed something to do. My go-to activities are playing outside or a trip to the grocery store. Just going outside is usually enough, but even there I occasionally hear, “What can I do?” I try to involve him in whatever I do in the garden, but after dropping three or so beans in holes, he is done. There are several books on Amazon that I’ve been crooning over as sources for gardening ideas, but haven’t…
