ALA Booklist (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 1994)

Marcy feels sad every time she sees the vacant lot because she thinks that it makes her neighborhood look like a big smile with one tooth missing. While she and Miss Rosa start work on their windowsill gardens, Marcy decides to lease the vacant lot from the city as a community garden. One by one all her neighbors eagerly sign the petition and pitch in to clean the lot, except Mr. Hard as Nails Hammer, the local curmudgeon. One night Marcy sees Mr. Hammer sprinkle some seeds in the back corner of the lot. She watches over them, and when they sprout, she drags Mr. Hammer into the garden to see the shoots. As the neighbors flowers, herbs, and vegetables mature, Marcy and Mr. Hammer keep the origin of the beautiful sunflowers their secret. DiSalvo-Ryan's warm text is enhanced by her soft pencil-and-watercolor illustrations depicting a diverse neighborhood drawn together by a community project. Appended information on the American Community Garden Association and how to start local gardens will inspire readers to action in their own neighborhoods. (Reviewed November 15, 1994)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

[author2=illustrator2]Fifty-one traditional nursery rhymes including "Jack Sprat" and "The Cat and the Fiddle" are gathered here in an inexpensive book that will remind many readers of the classic black-and-white checked Mother Goose collection. This book has blue-and-white checks and simpering, amateurish art. There are too many excellent collections of nursery rhymes to bother with this one.

Kirkus Reviews

When an abandoned house on her street is torn down, Marcy feels saddened by its loss. But then an idea strikes her: She enlists the aid of several grown-up neighbors and rents the vacant lot from the city for the price of $1. Working together with materials like leftover yellow paint and surplus wood, the residents create a community garden and plant it with a variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Even Old Man Hammer, initially resistant to the plan and unwilling to help in any way, is drawn in by Marcy's goodwill and gentle perseverance. The illustrations, if not mesmerizing, capture the slightly gritty, faded look of the urban landscape adequately. The story is followed by a set of practical and helpful guidelines on how to start a community garden, which may inspire young green thumbs and civic-minded kids to get involved. An optimistic tale that manages to be both encouraging yet realistic about how to do some good in your very own backyard. (Picture book. 5+)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

One girl's motivation and cheery attitude buoys this picture book about urban renewal and community action. Young Marcy is saddened after the city condemns and demolishes a building in her neighborhood. ``Now this block looks like a big smile with one tooth missing,'' she laments. But as springtime arrives, Marcy's thoughts turn to gardens and flowers. She and her neighbor Miss Rosa decide to clean up the lot and plant seeds there. Soon nearly everyone on the street joins in, donating time, energy and supplies to create a lush green oasis. Even crabby Old Man Hammer eventually warms up to the new look. DiSalvo-Ryan's ( Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen ) well-paced text imparts a wealth of information and emotion without sentimentalizing or preaching. The tone of Marcy's narration is occasionally poignant and always very childlike. Watercolor-and-pencil vignettes depict an overwhelmingly brown city landscape enlivened by a colorfully clad cast of ethnically diverse neighbors and, finally, a bountiful rainbow of plants. The kindly expressions of the various gardeners provide added warmth, making DiSalvo-Ryan's fictional block a nice place to visit. A helpful page of instructions for starting a community garden is also included. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-There is a garbage-filled, vacant lot on the street where Marcy lives. Instead of growing flowers in coffee cans like they usually do each spring, she and her friend Miss Rosa decide to plant a garden there. Old Man Hammer, who used to live in the building that was torn down, believes that they're getting their hopes up for nothing, but Marcy and Miss Rosa lease the spot from the city. Their enthusiasm and energy spread and everyone in the neighborhood joins together to create an urban oasis. Even Old Man Hammer sneaks into it at night and secretly plants seeds that grow into bright sunflowers. This is a pleasant, positive story of cooperation that features multiethnic characters. DiSalvo-Ryan's double-page illustrations are rendered in watercolors, pencil, and crayons. Although the story is a bit predictable-it is obvious that Old Man Hammer will eventually join in the community spirit-the book is genuinely warm and will appeal to children.-Mary Rinato Berman, New York Public Library