LORRAINE HARRISON

All Kinds of Rocks is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts, addressing Literacy.RI.2.8 and Literacy.L.2.4a. Readers will build an understanding of rock characteristics and classification into groups based on color, size, hardness, and texture in this book with full-page color photographs and narrative nonfiction. This book should be paired with "Rocky's Rock Collection (9781477722435) from the Rosen Common Core Readers Program to provide the alternative point of view on the same topic.

Since Latin became the standard language for plant naming in the eighteenth century, it has been intrinsically linked with botany. And while mastery of the classical language may not be a prerequisite for tending perennials, all gardeners stand to benefit from learning a bit of Latin and its conventions in the field. Without it, they might buy a "Hellebores foetidus "and be unprepared for its fetid smell, or a "Potentilla reptans "with the expectation that it will stand straight as a sentinel rather than creep along the ground. An essential addition to the gardener s library, this colorful, fully illustrated book details the history of naming plants, provides an overview of Latin naming conventions, and offers guidelines for pronunciation. Readers will learn to identify Latin terms that indicate the provenance of a given plant and provide clues to its color, shape, fragrance, taste, behavior, functions, and more.Full of expert instruction and practical guidance, "Latin for Gardeners" will allow novices and green thumbs alike to better appreciate the seemingly esoteric names behind the plants they work with, and to expertly converse with fellow enthusiasts.Soon they will realize that having a basic understanding of Latin before trips to the nursery or botanic garden is like possessing some knowledge of French before traveling to Paris; it enriches the whole experience."

My Fourth of July is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts, addressing Literacy.RI.1.5 and Literacy.L.1.1. Large color photographs of fireworks, traditional American cooking, patriotic parades, and family get-togethers along with narrative nonfiction text teach students about the history behind this national holiday. Readers learn about the many activities that typically take place on this festive July day. This book should be paired with "Our Country's Holidays (9781448888337) from the Rosen Common Core Readers Program to provide the alternative point of view on the same topic.

You've seen the county's glorious gardens, now find out about the garden designers, plant hunters and botanical brains behind them. What makes their green thumb prick, why do they feel so passionate about all things horticultural? There are as many types of gardener as there are styles of garden, and Lorraine Harrison has done well to fit so many into such a small plot, from the well known-Rudyard Kipling, the Lloyds of Great Dixter and the Lodgers of Wakehurst and Leonardslee - to the obscure, such Oliver Cockerell and Helen Nussey with their French hot beds. We look at the gardeners behind public parks and spaces and those whose small private paradises are so entraling, catch some of Angus White's boundless enthusiasm for his architectural plants and even peer over the county fence to look at Derek Jarman's wonderful painterly garden in Dungeness. And there's a directory of those who didn't make first prize in the show.

Whether you are a resident of the county or a short-stay visitor, a committed gardener or a reluctant one just looking for a pleasant afternoon out with a good cup of tea and piece of cake, "20 Sussex Gardens" will guide you to some of the best and most varied gardens that are regularly open to the public. Those looking for ideas for their own humble plot will find as much to delight and inform as others who seek the grand and impressive. The featured gardens cover a wide geographical, historical and stylistic spread and, where appropriate, are carefully set within their architectural context. Many of these gardens are associated with the county's leading historical, artistic and literary figures and reference to their lives will further illuminate a visit to the many lovely gardens of Sussex.