A Kid's First Book of Gardening: Growing Plants Indoors and Out

Although considerable interest in children's gardening has emerged in recent years, very few books have been written on the subject. That's why this effort is such a disappointment, especially given the author's fine reputation as a gardening writer. Too much information has been omitted to make the book usable by a young novice gardener. Fell spells out phonetically some words (bacteria, zinnia), but not others (fibrous, transplanted); readers may well be bewildered when encountering unfamiliar terms. Regarding garden planning, he is too vague about vegetable spacing, instructing readers to check the seed packet. The activities in the book are fun--growing the biggest pumpkin, tomato and watermelon, for instance, would entice a child, as would the ``garbage garden'' section on growing houseplants from seeds and pits. But for the most part, this book doesn't seem exciting or detailed enough to interest its audience. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)