By award-winning Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, the fifth book in the Luna Loves… series brings alive the art of gardening.

Luna is wowed by her local community garden, there are squashes and runner beans, potatoes and tomatoes and even an apple tree. But each plant hides a story. Grandpa and Nana show her the Callaloo their family grew in Jamaica. It’s time for Luna to grab a trowel and sow seeds that will tell a new story for the whole community as they all discover their connection to the entire world.

Luna Loves Gardening is a children’s book from the ‘Luna Loves’ series. The series follows a young girl named Luna as she explores the world around her. The last book I reviewed in the series was back in December 2023 – Luna Loves Christmas.

In this latest book, Luna is going to the community garden with her dad to meet her grandparents and other local residents. She learns about planting seeds, the origins of different fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and sees some of the garden’s animals.

The book is absolutely wonderful. I love that at the beginning and end, there are instructions for things children can make and do such as creating a bug hotel and keeping a wildlife journal.

Little readers will love this book. Each page contains illustrations that are full-page, vibrant, and really stand out. Plus, lots of wonderful situations and educational moments that are wrapped in a beautiful story. Luna Loves Gardening would be perfect for any youngster who has green fingers and wants to learn about how plants grow.

Joseph Coelho, Children’s Laureate for 2022-2024, is a performance poet, children’s author, playwright and winner of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Poetry Award 2015 for his debut poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules. Joe has written plays for the Polka Theatre, Soho Theatre and the Unicorn Theatre and creates dynamic poetry theatre pieces for young people that he tours nationally. He also performs with the UK’s top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes, visiting venues across the UK. Joseph has also been a guest poet on Cbeebies’ Rhyme Rocket.