Nanny Mihi’s mokopuna (grandchildren) stay with her every school holidays. She lives near the sea and has a large vegetable garden and chickens.

Nanny Mihi makes the most of Nature’s four seasons, and with the help of her grandchildren can grow a feast to last all year.

In Spring there is planting to do, and together they sort the seeds and plant them in freshly dug soil.

In Summer there are critters to find to feed to the chickens, vegetables to pick, and bottling to do with the extras.

Autumn brings storing food, and saving seeds.

Winter is quiet in the garden as it sleeps, but Spring, Summer & Autumn have filled Nanny Mihi’s pantry until it’s time to plant again.

Nanny Mihi is back with more knowledge gained from working with Nature.

Nanny Mihi’s Harvest shows her grandchildren helping her in her vegetable garden every school holidays. With the story split into the four seasons of the year, young readers learn what jobs to do when in the garden to produce food.

A humourous story thread runs through the story about her chickens and making sure to shut the garden gate! Nanny Mihi’s chickens might be rascals when given the opportunity, but they are also part of the seasonal work – eating bugs found on the vegies, cleaning up the pulled weeds and eating old plants. Which of course result in their own contribution – eggs!

Not only is this wise advice to young readers, Nanny Mihi’s Harvest is Bilingual with (English/Māori) alongside each other. There are also quick translations scattered through the pages to help build readers te reo Māori.

Another Nanny Mihi gem!

Author – Melanie Drewery

Illustrator – Suzanne Simpson

Picture Book

See another Nanny Mihi story review here

(2024, Oratia Books, Family, Aotearoa New Zealand, Series, Siblings, Mokopuna, Gardening, Growing, Vegetables, Seasons, Chickens, School Holidays, Bilingual, Year Round Food, Harvest, Shut the gate)