Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A multiethnic group of five children plants and cares for their own neighborhood garden in a city setting.This engaging story was inspired by a real community garden for children in Seattle. In this interpretation, the group of young gardeners includes two Asian girls, a black boy, a boy with light-brown skin, and a white boy. The kids appear to be on their own without adult supervision on this project, as they work cooperatively on a large plot of land with plentiful supplies for preparing the soil, planting seeds, watering, and weeding. The children also take time to play in the garden space and rest inside their "bean tent," a cleverly constructed oasis of green bean vines twining around a tall structure of plant stakes. The short, evocative text effectively uses rich, imaginative language to describe the process of gardening with phrases such as "drip-drop damp" and sunflowers "rustling their leafy dresses." Vivid illustrations in a naïve style use bright greens, sunny backgrounds, and a rainbow of flowers and produce to present the garden as a lively, welcoming environment. Anywhere Farm, by Phyllis Root and illustrated by G. Brian Karas (2017), also shows children gardening in an urban setting, making a nice pairing. This charming look at a cooperative project outdoors in fresh air and sunshine captures the appeal of gardening and may inspire children to plant some seeds of their own. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A multiethnic group of five children plants and cares for their own neighborhood garden in a city setting.This engaging story was inspired by a real community garden for children in Seattle. In this interpretation, the group of young gardeners includes two Asian girls, a black boy, a boy with light-brown skin, and a white boy. The kids appear to be on their own without adult supervision on this project, as they work cooperatively on a large plot of land with plentiful supplies for preparing the soil, planting seeds, watering, and weeding. The children also take time to play in the garden space and rest inside their "bean tent," a cleverly constructed oasis of green bean vines twining around a tall structure of plant stakes. The short, evocative text effectively uses rich, imaginative language to describe the process of gardening with phrases such as "drip-drop damp" and sunflowers "rustling their leafy dresses." Vivid illustrations in a naïve style use bright greens, sunny backgrounds, and a rainbow of flowers and produce to present the garden as a lively, welcoming environment. Anywhere Farm, by Phyllis Root and illustrated by G. Brian Karas (2017), also shows children gardening in an urban setting, making a nice pairing. This charming look at a cooperative project outdoors in fresh air and sunshine captures the appeal of gardening and may inspire children to plant some seeds of their own. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-7)

School Library Journal (Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

PreS-Gr 3Inspired by an actual garden in Seattle, founded in 1978, the story begins: "Down the road from Woodlawn Avenue, on a street called Sunnyside, there's a garden patch grown by children who live in the neighborhood." Indeed, five childrenthree boys and two girls of varying races and skin tonestend this garden. Readers follow along as the five kids happily plant a wide variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Nearly every page starts with the phrase, "In the Children's Garden" and goes on to describe what is happening: "In the Children's Garden, deep, dark soilrich with rotted grass, apple peels, and onion skinsis tunneled through by worms that wriggle it loose and give it airahhh." Simple yet enlightening and lyrical text is enhanced by the cheerful and colorful artwork, which depicts the tools used by the children, as well as fauna, such as birds, snails, worms, butterflies, and even a family of quail. In the end, the protagonists reap the benefits of their hard work, leaving with baskets and a wagon full of their bounty. Adults are neither mentioned in the text nor seen in the illustrations, an element that will appeal to and empower young children (though it's a bit unrealistic in this day and age). VERDICT A solid addition for libraries looking for offerings on urban gardening that will inspire and inform future farmers.Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn