Meany Beany

In this beautifully illustrated early reader chapter book about navigating change, young gardener Gertie Green struggles to adjust to new class rules and new personalities in the first weeks of second grade.

Second grade is off to a stinkin' start. There are classroom jobs. Gertie has to sit beside Scarlett, who does NOT think it is neat that she has the same name as a bean, and most of the kids invited to Gertie's 7th birthday party apparently aren't coming. Her big sister Liza says that weird kids do and say things other kids can't relate to, and she tells Gertie she does NOT want to be weird. But what if it's too late, and she already is?

It helps that her friends from first grade are standing by her. But when Clark plays a practical joke on Scarlett to get her back for hurting Gertie's feelings, it doesn't make Gertie feel as good as she thought it would. And when she discovers her friend Zoey is worried that she is the weird kid this year, Gertie begins to see that being the only one who is doing something doesn't make you "weird."

This is the fourth book in this beautifully illustrated, early reader chapter book series about friendship, gardening, and the power and importance of being yourself. Each book features a different vegetable as a key part of the story and includes how-to-grow information for young gardeners.

Visit the Free Digital Downloads tab of the publisher's website (shelfspacebooks.com) for an extensive selection of companion resources to go along with the Gertie in the Garden books, like food and gardening activities and coloring books.

The Gertie in the Garden series is so engaging . . . growing vegetables and even playing with them will encourage kids to view healthy foods as helping them negotiate their way in the world. Kids will love these books (and parents will too). Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, New York University

S.M.R. Saia is the author of two book series for children: the Little Ant Books (read aloud stories for ages 3 to 5) and the Gertie in the Garden books (garden-themed early reader chapter books for ages 6 to 9). Her professional experience in the book world includes owning a corporate book fair business and freelancing as a self-publishing coach. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. For the past several years she has worked developing English Language Arts Worksheets for K - 12, using creative strategies to present, teach, and provide students with an opportunity to practice grade-appropriate Language Arts concepts and skills.

Tina Perko was born in Ljubljana in 1971. She holds a Masters degree in fashion design from Instituto Marangoni in Milano, Italy. For the last 10 years she has been illustrating picture books and writing stories. She has also been a contributor to children's magazines. Today, Tina is a well-established Slovenian illustrator with many books published. She is represented by the Swiss Milan Illustration Agency (MIA) and works for clients worldwide.