All That Grows

PreS-Gr 2–Dreamy, earth-toned pastel drawings and quiet, spare text are used to great effect in this lovely book about a boy’s curiosity and wonder about the natural world. A boy and his older sister, both with brown skin, are shown walking around their neighborhood smelling magnolia blossoms, admiring a quince tree, and gathering a bunch of daffodils. Then it’s off to her garden to weed out the crabgrass and clover, while leaving the fledgling vegetable sprouts to continue growing. Through it all, the boy wonders why some plants are vegetables, some flowers, and others weeds, and how his sister knows so much. (When they encounter an unknown plant, the sister offers to look it up in one of her books—a novelty in this digital age!) The pictures are almost cinematic, as the point of view changes from page to page: the characters are shown from above, below, up-close, far away, and as shadowy outlines in one spread, perhaps reflecting the boy’s journey from wonder to experience. A delightful addition to any library’s collection, perfect for those with an interest in plants and gardening.