Little Homesteader: A Spring Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom

K-Gr 2–Families and classroom teachers looking for ways to get children outside and appreciate the world around them will find this practical guide to spring activities and recipes very helpful. Ferraro-Fanning covers the plants, animals, and holidays often associated with spring. Each activity includes numbered and illustrated instructions, with a clear list of materials, as well as helpful tips. Activities are interspersed with information about the season, including a child-friendly introduction to phenology, a guide to greens and flowers that bloom in the spring, and an overview of the baby animals children might see on a farm. A table of contents will help adults and children navigate to the appropriate content. This text is designed for exploration and will be a great resource for those interested in creating and cooking with materials found in nature. The illustrations are dominated by greens, yellows, and blues, and the young children and animals featured are reminiscent of Little Golden Books’ characters, sometimes giving this a vintage look. When introducing plants, the layout of illustrations and text have more of a field guide feel and will help young naturalists identify wildflowers and greens in the spring. With a promised volume covering summer as a follow-up, this is an excellent guide to getting young children to interpret and interact with nature.