Published by Beach Lane Books
Summary: A community rooftop garden takes shape, bringing together a diverse group of neighbors who grow an equally diverse collection of fruits and vegetables. From “Garden ready, garden new/Garden so much work to do” to “Garden growing like a child, rosy, leggy, fresh and wild/Wild in this muddy mess, garden, thank you…Garden, yes!”, the brief rhyming text celebrates different stages of gardening. A girl and a boy meet each other through the garden, and enjoy all the different aspects, even the rainy days and the bugs and worms that they discover. The final illustration shows the whole group sitting down to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors. 32 pages; ages 3-7.
Pros: This bouncy rhyming ode to gardens is a perfect summertime read. Kids with gardens will connect with the different phases of growing produce, and everyone will enjoy finding details in the cheerful illustrations, such as the recurring appearances of a garden gnome and two toy vehicles: a blue truck and a yellow car.
Cons: A gardening activity at the end would have been nice.
