Salajane aed

by Maija Hurme, Lina Laurent, Allar Sooneste (Translator)

Kuidas saab väikesest seemnest toit?
Ja miks mõjub kaevamisvaba taimekasvatus kliimale hästi?

Luna, Bianca ja Ville on leidnud endale salakoha. See asub mahajäetud aias ega ole kellegi oma, võib-olla ehk ainult Armi oma. Armile meeldib taimi kasvatada. Luna, Bianca ja Ville aitavad teda meeleldi. Kõik paistab olevat korras, kuid ühel päeval ilmuvad aeda kollaste vestidega inimesed. Ja kes varastas pojengid?

„Salajane aed“ on lugu sõpradest, kes hakkavad keset linna taimi kasvatama. Raamat õpetab lapsi tundma seemneid, mikroobe, mulda, kaevamisvaba taimekasvatust, kompostimist, bokashi’t ja mesindust.
Raamatus sisalduvat teavet võib kasutada taimekasvatuse algteadmiste andmiseks lasteaias ja koolis.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Reelika Kullerkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tõeliselt huvitav raamat aianduse toimimisest nii lapsele kui täiskasvanule. Seda raamatut võiks küll aias lugeda, et siis kohe taimi ja mulda uurima hakata ja aias toimetama asuda. Juttu on kaevamisvabast aiast, Bokashi-meetodil kompostimisest, mesilaste pidamisest. Sobib loodusega kooskõlas aiapidamist hindavale perele uurimiseks. Kõige selle kõrval on ka üks tore lugu lokkava aia sünnist ja selle aia päästmisest.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

With lovely illustrations and a magical blend of nonfiction and fictional mystery, this book is a winner!
Luna, Bianca, and Billy are three children who live in an urban environment and “spy” on their neighbors. When they discover an abandoned lot and a woman named Amy who wants to build a garden, they decide to help and learn a lot about no-dig, climate friendly gardens along the way. During their community gardening journey, they learn about sowing seeds, composting, pollinators, and more. Conflict ensues, however, when the peonies are stolen; who is the thief? Then surveyors arrive to take measurements for a parking garage! Can the kids catch the thief and save the garden and their newfound community?
The storyline is strong, compelling, and well written. The nonfiction elements are excellent; readers will enjoy perusing the small text boxes to learn all about no-till gardening practices; the differences between bees, wasps, and honeybees; different options for composting; and the step by step process to sow a seed. The two page spread on bees and beekeeping is especially well done and informative. The illustrations are bursting with greenery and lovely in their simplicity.
Two of the children are white and one is Black; neighbors are from diverse backgrounds. Includes a glossary that doubles as an index, as well as four pages with more nonfiction information about the importance of no dig gardening for keeping carbon dioxide in the soil.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Secret Gardeners is a sensitively written and encouraging story for all ages (but aimed mostly at younger readers) about restorative gardening, community, and stewardship by Maija Hurme and Lina Laurent. Due out 11th June 2024 from Pajama Press, it's 56 pages and will be available in hardcover format. Originally published in Swedish in 2021, this English translation by Sofia Karlsson & Jen Pulju Porter is seamless and smoothly done.

It's accessible and well written and although it's mostly aimed at 6-9 year olds (Lexile measure 760L) it's full of interesting background and gardening ideas and community, along with a lovely story which everyone will find touching. The author and publisher have also included an abbreviated glossary and a bibliography/links for further reading as well as short info blocks about no-dig gardening, composting, beekeeping, and more.

Four and a half stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, gift giving, and home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[MOSS Kids Book Project · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVE this book! It's a fictional story with a beautiful plot & characters AND it's a nonfiction read discussing no-dig gardens, the ground's network underneath the surface, sowing a seed, & the importance of bees. Follow three friends as they stumble across an abandoned lot & work with their neighbors to create a community space. Along the way, a sad old man helps to fix a well & then spends his days in his apartment staring longingly at the empty lot. Plants previously planted by the last gardener appear & the kids find out that the abandoned lot used to be a beautiful garden. Sadly, the mysterious owner of the lot had plans to sell it to be demolished to become a parking garage. The kids & the community come together one last time to save the lot. A story sprinkled with grief, loss, & ultimately, hope. A must-read for homeschools, nature programs, families who are interested in gardening, classroom science units, & so much more. We cannot wait to bring this beautiful story to our own local community garden for a story-time!

Thank you NetGalley & Pajama Press for an early digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Lynsaroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luna, Bianca and Billy love to spy 🕵🏾‍♀️ on the neighborhood from atop the garage of their apartment building with 100 windows. On a mission they stumbled through a fence into an overgrown plot with an old house on it and one of their neighbors planting 🌱 away. Amy teaches them all about gardening sustainably and their secret 🌽 garden quickly becomes a community space. When contractors come along and word gets out that they are planning to level the property to raise a parking ramp the kids and neighbors work together to find the owners and convince them to keep this sacred space 🌻 as is.
Such an informative book! This is a little text heavy compared to some other stories for this age range but there is a lot of story going on here (even a little bit of mystery!) and plenty of useful information thrown in as well. Learn about no-dig gardening, how to sow a seed, composting, carbon, and 🐝 beekeeping with this story about an eco-conscious community.

[Mai Laakso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maija Hurmeen ja Lina Laurentin hurmaavasta lasten tieto/satukirjasta Piilopalstan tarhurit voi lukea Villen, Jasminin ja Lunan seikkailusta hylätyn talon pihalla. He tapasivat pihalla Armin, joka oli tekemässä talon pihalle kasvimaata. Hän sai lapset kiinnostumaan viljelystä.

Piilopalstan tarhurit sopii hyvin tieto/satukirjaksi varhaiskasvatukseen, esikouluun ja alkuopetukseen. Olisi kiva, jos lapset saisivat kylvää siemeniä multaan kirjan oppien mukaan. Lapsista on aina ihanaa seurata miten siemenistä nousee taimia ja miten ne kasvavat vauhdilla. Samalla he oppivat luonnonmukaisella tavalla, miten kasvit tarvitsevat vettä, auringonvaloa, ravinteita ja pölyttäjiä.

Piilopalstan tarhurit on ihastuttava lapsenomainen kasvien viljelystä kertova kirja, joka hurmaa tarinallaan ja tiedoillaan.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An abandoned lot near a large apartment house draws three friends, Luna, Bianca, and Billy, to it. They love spying on the building's residents, and they're intrigued by the sad elderly man who sits on his balcony. When they start to explore the weedy lot, they meet Amy, a friendly woman who is planting a no-dig garden in the unused space since her original garden was replaced by a parking lot. She teaches the youngsters about gardening, and slowly, other neighbors are attracted by their activity. There's a secret behind the area having been abandoned, and community activism saves the spot just in the nick of time. The weaving of gardening facts among the narration makes this book unique and kid-friendly as do the colorful sketches of the novice and experienced gardeners. Sometimes treasures are hidden, and they only need some effort to be found or reclaimed.

[Eveli Nõgu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Salajane aed" jäi mul viimane kord raamatukogus näppu ja on täiega minu masti avastus. Linnarahvas loob mahajäetud maja aeda loodussõbraliku aia. Lapsed teevad tutvust põhupeenarde ja erinevate kompostimisviisidega, üks naabritest toob lindudele jooginõu ja üleüldse räägitakse aiandusest uue kaasaegse nurga alt. Ma arvan, et osaliselt on see raamat kirjutatud lapsevanematele, et laste kaudu neid loodussõbralikumalt mõtlema panna 🙈 Lugege kindlasti, ma sain ka targemaks, kuigi olen omajagu alternatiivaiandusest lugenud.

[Hanneleele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaunis lasteraamat permakultuurist ja kaevamisvabast aiast ja no eks siis üldse aiapidamisest ja sellest, kes seal elab ja kasvab. Mõned kohad on vast veidi keerulised, oskaksin lihtsamini sõnastada, ja mesilase nõela välja kraapida küll pole vaja (ma pigem tõmbaksin), aga noh, pole viga. Ilus ja tore on kahtlemata!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurmaava kirja piilopalstan tarhureista! Kirja yhdistää kauniilla tavalla hyvän tarinan tietokirjaan - lisäksi tässä teoksessa on upea kuvitustyyli. Kuopus tuumasi, että tämä oli myös vähän surullinen kirja.

[Johanna Lundin]

Fina bilder och gullig berättelse om gemenskap i ett bostadsområde. Men jag är inte överförtjust i alla faktarutor och pratet om klimatfrågan kunde ha tagits ner till barns nivå snarare än låta som förmaningar vänt till vuxna.

[Andi Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful and educational but I wouldn’t call it a picture book exactly. It’s extremely wordy, has a table of Contents and there’s a lot to get through. It would be more for an 8yo than a 4yo…

[Virva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kolme kaverusta perustavat puutarhan hylätyn talon pihalle ja koko naapurusto tempautuu mukaan kaupunkiviljelyyn. Tarina tuntuu kuitenkin jopa liian opettavaiselta. Kirjassa on paljon tietotekstejä liittyen luontoon ja viljelyyn, mutta juoni ei vie pientä lukijaa mukanaan.

[Erja Linnonmaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erinomainen teos yhdessä luettavaksi ja alakoululaisille tietokirjaksi.

[Helin Puksand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juturaamatuvormis aimeraamat kaevamisvabast taimekasvatusest.

[Y.Poston]

book walk

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a whole heck of a lot, but I think this may work better as an educator's resource than as a 'kid's book'.

[Lisa Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kid's book is part story, part how-to guide. The information about gardening and in particular no-dig gardening was fabulous. I am inspired to create my own.

[Lisa Arekion · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely little book for littles(&me) as a intro to no dig gardening/ gardening. anyway I’m 50% sure my kid now wants a worm farm for that good good soil. yay 😭