A spring treasury of recipes, crafts, and wisdom

Two rosy-cheeked children spend a season connecting with nature through crafts, cooking, and gardening projects in this sweetly illustrated book that introduces small-scale self-sufficiency to curious families. After a quick look at "The Magic of Spring," readers are offered a range of activities that raise ecological awareness and promote a thoughtful relationship with the land. Phenology and duckling baths are an ambitious starting point for true beginners, but strawberry jam, foraged wind chimes, and pleasingly illustrated surveys of edible flowers and greens prove more approachable. Many of the activities are manageable in small spaces, which extends the book's appeal to apartment dwellers and hands-on science educators. The first in a planned four-book series (Little Homesteaders), this hands-on guide may be just what young readers need to tend to their bookshelves as well as the Earth.