Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Salem Main Library | JER Hooks | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | JER Hooks | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | E H (BLUE) | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In this new book in the popular Confetti Kids series, Lily and her friends volunteer to help at the public garden, where they learn that plants need water, sun, and--just like them--time to grow.
Five friends from diverse backgrounds learn how to navigate common childhood challenges, new experiences, and the world around them in the realistic and kid-friendly Confetti Kids early chapter books.
In this story, Lily still misses having a backyard with flowers and a vegetable garden. Then she remembers the public garden in the neighborhood and tries to convince her friends gardening is fun. Her friends are a little reluctant--it sounds like a lot of waiting and work. But in the end, they enjoy learning what a plant needs to grow, and that patience can sometimes yield something delicious.
Author Notes
Gwendolyn Hooks is the author of Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas , which received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children. Thanks to her Air Force dad, she grew up in Texas and Washington in the United States, and in Italy. After teaching middle school math, Hooks decided to follow her passion and write books for children. Hooks lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her husband. Please visit her website at www.gwendolynhooks.com.
Shirley Ng-Benitez is a Bay Area children's book author/illustrator who has illustrated 35+ children's books, and has a background in Graphic Design (GabbyandCo.com), and hand-lettering (American Greetings, Inc.). She works and experiments in traditional mediums including watercolor, gouache, pen&ink, oils, and painted & cut-paper collage. Her work draws from a deep wish to add more compassion and connection in the world through her art and stories. She founded @AWEtober on Instagram, an annual art auction fundraiser since '20, whose efforts have raised tens of thousands for various organizations supporting victims of the California wildfires, and efforts in coral reef restoration around the globe. She lives with her family and two black cats, and is thrilled to be working on her debut picture book, DOWN, THROUGH, UP by Quill Tree Books, Winter '25. Please visit shirleyngbenitez.com for more.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Garden finds Lily and friends helping out at the public garden. In Gift, Mei doesn't know what to get her baby brother for his traditional one-hundred days celebration. The small conflicts and friendly city setting, shown in cheery watercolor and digital illustrations, support the easy-reader series' mission to "inspire young readers to imagine a diverse world...in which they can see themselves as the heroes of their own stories." [Review covers these Dive into Reading titles: The Garden and The Perfect Gift.] (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Diverse children work in a community garden.In Hooks' story, Lily, a brown-skinned girl with brown curls, says she misses her old suburban home's garden, and her mother, whose appearance is similar, suggests that she help in the urban community garden near their new home. The ensuing story employs a controlled text and is broken up into short chapters that provide structure and will support feelings of accomplishment in emergent readers. Mr. Sam, who oversees the garden and appears Asian, welcomes her and encourages her to invite friends to help, too. Readers of previous books will recognize familiar names and faces: Henry, Mei, Pablo, and Padma, who are cued in the text or in Ng-Benitez's appealing watercolor and digital illustrations as white, Asian, Latinx, and South Asian, respectively. Henry and Padma are initially reluctant, while Mei and Pablo are eager, but all agree to try. Mr. Sam shows them how to plant and care for seeds, and Padma is disappointed that it'll take "months" for plants to grow. This makes Lily worry that her friends aren't having fun, but, satisfyingly, they persist and are rewarded with literal fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. The visible enthusiasm of the tiny songbirds (underscored by their dialogue: little musical notes followed by exclamation marks) who watch the plants sprout adds sweet humor.A warmly inclusive book for growing new readers. (Early reader. 5-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This level 2 beginning reader features a multiethnic group of children with varying skin tones and hair types learning about urban community gardening. Three brief chapters are titled Helping, Planting, and Growing. Lily, newly moved to the area, misses the garden at her previous home. Her mother suggests they visit a local garden, where they see a neighbor. Mr. Sam gratefully accepts Lily's offer of help and encourages her to bring friends. Watercolor illustrations altered digitally add further details about the characters to the simple text. Some of the children are more enthusiastic than others, but eventually the group of four agree to join Lily. Step by step, the friends learn the process of planting and caring for fruits and vegetables, including the patience needed as they wait for their plants to develop. Luckily, their garden is a success, and the bounty of vegetables makes them excited for next year. The story is a cheerful introduction to gardening and eating a healthy diet. Instructions are included for readers to grow their own snap peas.--Whitehurst, Lucinda Copyright 2018 Booklist