By Super Kitty

There are lots of books out there about gardening, and plenty of them are aimed at kids, but how about a book not just for kids, but written by one? In Gardening with Emma, 13-year-old Emma Biggs gives young gardeners helpful advice on growing your own flowers and vegetables, planning your garden, and more, along with fun facts and interviews with other gardeners. And if you aren’t sure where to start, Emma also has plenty of suggestions for garden themes, like rainbow veggies, A-to-Z gardens, and how to create cool outdoor hideouts. Not to mention her list of the 130 tomato varieties she planted last year…

And books aren’t the only way Emma gets kids excited about gardening—she speaks at events and has appeared on radio shows, plus she has a blog (https://www.emmabiggs.ca/kids-gardening-blog) where she encourages young growers with advice and ideas!

Full of beautiful photographs and helpful step-by-step tutorials, Gardening with Emma teaches kids all the essential skills they need to create and maintain a garden, and, most importantly, how to have fun with it.

Disclosure note: Thanks to Storey Publishing for sending us this book to review! 

By Super Kitty

In this fascinating new book, Mary Jane Cryan (an American who has lived in Italy for over fifty years) explores the history of one ancient Italian building, or “palazzo,” in which she lives. She tells the stories of people who are now famous, along with those almost forgotten. Cryan creates an in-depth look at not only a single building but also of the town, Vetralla, and its colorful past. This book is illustrated with various photographs that contribute to this historical tale of events, people, and works of art.
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The author has clearly not just researched the town, she has lived in it—descriptions are written in vivid detail, and there is a sense of familiarity with the subject matter that makes the narration much more engaging than that of many other histories. And the fact that it’s written in both English and Italian is a particularly cool! Overall, I would recommend The Painted Palazzo Dipinto for readers interested in Italy, history, or art/architecture, from middle grade to adult!