Green Green

PreS-Gr 2—A basic introduction to community gardens for youngsters. Beginning with a lush, rural landscape with old houses, picket fences, and a young family gardening in their spacious yard, the narrative shows bulldozers arriving as "stone and metal, the city grows." Rather suddenly, viewers are in an established urban landscape of high-rise buildings and neglected, overgrown lots. Green and brown have turned to "pigeon blue and squirrel gray," though plants still peek out from "in between" pavement cracks and balcony planter boxes. The colored pencil illustrations depict a diverse cast of children and adults of all ages who see an overgrown city lot and with the repeated refrain of "Brown brown,/dig the ground" transform it into a vibrant garden. Back matter includes additional information on community gardens and pollinators as well as a butterfly craft project. The simple text pairs well with the detailed visuals, each spread packed with movement and activity. However, while the overarching theme of urban development followed by green redevelopment may be clear to adult readers, young audiences viewing the images may be confused by gaps. For example, the same family depicted gardening in the countryside at the opening of the story is shown just a few pages later, following some quick construction, on top of a building, admiring the night sky. It isn't obvious whether they moved to the city or the city sprung up around them within a very short time frame.