GRANDMA'S GARDEN

In this third book about Kim and her grandma, the little girl makes an early spring visit to help plant the first seeds. The familiar topic is treated with unusual care. The specifics are accurate—the two plant only early vegetables, with Grandma sprinkling the tiny carrot seeds while Kim puts in the radishes that ``help loosen the soil for the slower-growing carrots''; and there are realistic setbacks—a storm washes away the first planting and newly set plums need to be protected from a frost. The bond between the child who enjoys participating in important tasks and her gentle, brown-haired grandmother is nicely established both in Andreasen's warmly realistic full-bleed art and the simple, likable text, where the parting at the end is eased by the promise of a return in July when the carrots are ready to eat. (Picture book. 4-8)