Happy Book Birthday, I LOVE Blueberries! by Shannon Anderson!

I'm screaming out another Happy Book Birthday, today! I have another picture book surrounding gardening and growing plants. This one is for a slightly older audience than yesterday's read and should include a peek at hydroponics...another 'think around the box' for gardens. I do enjoy eating blueberries, and we go to a blueberry farm each year to pick our own. Growing them has it's own challenges, though, so I'm curious to see what this book does with the theme.

Grab those gardening gloves because it's time to plant some more seeds if this book inspires!

I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!

by Shannon Anderson

Illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

Feeding Minds Press

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 5 to 9

Jolie LOVES blueberries and is determined to grow her own using hydroponics with her new friend Margot.

Told through Jolie’s comical scrapbook-style journal entries and Margot’s creative sketchbook, young readers will learn how they create a plan and work together to not only grow blueberries but also develop a new friendship. This heartwarming story emphasizes the value of friendship, a theme that will resonate with young readers.

With the help of Jolie’s faithful rabbit, Munchy, and Margot’s dog, Pip, plans are underway to bring the whole class together to convince the community to help them set up a hydroponics growing station in their classroom. Filled with engaging facts about blueberries, hydroponics, poetry, and a heartwarming theme of friendship, I LOVE BLUEBERRIES is not just a delightful read, but also a valuable educational resource. It's a must-have for any bookshelf, promising to spark curiosity and promote learning.

Informational backmatter includes facts about blueberry nutrition, growing blueberries, and hydroponics. This story makes a great read before a family trip to a pick-your-own blueberry farm, a garden store, or in a classroom, talking about healthy eating and growing your own food.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Thanks to an up-beat format and energetic character, growing blueberries turns into a fun project for readers to try themselves.

Jolie is determined to grow blueberries and has a few plants sprouting in her window sill. When she's back in the classroom, she meets a new girl, whose family has worked with blueberries before. The two come together for a project and are especially excited when their teacher shows them the school's new hydroponic system. With their favorite pets by their sides, the two girls are in for a small, berry adventure.

These pages pack a couple of themes, which swirl around blueberry knowledge, friendship, poetry, and hydroponics. The plot itself is fairly straight-forward as the girls become friends, share knowledge, and do their best to work through things. Both are kind and excited about what they're doing, which comes across nicely. But it's the format which adds the needed spice to keep this one interesting. Written with decorative journal pages worked into the surrounding illustrations, Jolie's lively personality comes across clearly and invites in. This also offers a wonderful way to bring across the facts as she records everything going on. Not everything is on these journal pages, either. The regular character interactions still occur in usual style, and this mix keeps things interesting.

The illustrations are as lively as the girls and their pets, and let each scene do its thing. They bring across the information clearly, while keeping the atmosphere fun and light. This balances nicely with the facts surrounding growing blueberries and hydroponics as they mix into the story. While these pages offer the information and inspiration for a blueberry project readers can try themselves, the hydroponics will be undoable for most due to cost reasons. This is also mentioned in the tale as the teacher explains that the school could only afford it due to grants. Which reminds me that there are some ideas/topics mentioned in these pages, which might be above many readers' heads even with the short explanations in the book. So, added discussions on the side will most likely filter in too (a good thing!)  There is also a bit of poetry tossed in to add a lyrical touch. I would suggest this for the upper end of the intended age group, simply because it packs quite a bit more than first appears. 

In any case, this is a fun read, which holds energy and is great for introducing blueberry cultivation or giving the very first glance at hydroponics to a group or in an individual setting...while offering a charming tale about a forming friendship on the side. 

And here they are...

Shannon Anderson is an award-winning children's book author, professor, TEDx speaker, frequent keynote presenter, and certified brain coach. She taught for 25 years, from first grade through college level and was named one of the 10 teachers who "awed and inspired" the Today Show in 2019. Shannon loves doing author visits, providing Professional Development for teachers, mentoring aspiring writers, and speaking at events. Her book I LOVE Strawberries! was named the top rated 2022 picture book by Good Housekeeping magazine and the national book of the year by the Farm Bureau Foundation. Learn more at shannonisteaching.com.

Jaclyn Sinquett grew up playing in her dad's garden, feeding worms to box turtles, and tossing french fries to seagulls at the Jersey shore. She now spends her time avoiding sunburn at the beach with her daughter, catching up on a certain great baking show, and illustrating books for children. She lives in Brick, NJ. See more of her work at jaclynsinquett.com.

About the Publisher: 

Feeding Minds Press is a project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The mission of the Foundation is to build awareness and understanding of agriculture through education. The goal of Feeding Minds Press is to publish accurate and engaging books about agriculture that connect readers to where their food comes from and who grows it. Learn more at feedingmindspress.com.