A youngster waits for their garden to grow. The author Lois Ehlert's love of creating was nurtured by her parents, who furnished her with art supplies to fuel her creative nature. Her artistic explorations garnered her a scholarship to the Layton School of the Arts. Upon her graduation, she began working as an illustrator and graphic designer in children's publishing. Although she loved art, she was disappointed in the lack of rich colors in the children's books at the time, so she left publishing to work solely as a graphic designer. Lois Ehlert eventually began illustrating again and published her first book, Growing Vegetable Soup, in 1987, more than 20 years after first working in children's publishing. Some of the activities in this unit are painting a still life, exploring the feel of flowers, and making flower playdough.