“Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living” by Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, John Little and Edmund C. Snodgrass (Timber Press, $24.95)

The authors of “Small Green Roofs” argue that putting plants on a roof is as good for the occupants as it is for the environment.

A green roof, they say, connects us with nature while it performs such beneficial functions as cooling buildings and slowing storm-water runoff. That’s why the authors encourage readers to create green roofs on a small scale, on buildings such as houses, garages and sheds.

The book covers the process of creating a green roof and choosing plants. It also profiles a few dozen green roof projects, focusing on the design process, installation and success of each.