City Green

by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of City Green—the environmentally and community-conscious classic that shows the wonderful things kids can do when they put their minds to it—with this new paperback edition. 

“An optimistic tale that manages to be both encouraging yet realistic about how to do some good in your very own backyard.” —Kirkus

Right in the middle of Marcy’s city block is a vacant lot, littered and forlorn. Sometimes just looking at it makes Marcy feel sad. Then one spring, Marcy has a wonderful idea: Instead of a useless lot, why not a green and growing space for everyone to enjoy?

With her warm, hopeful text and inviting illustrations, DyAnne Disalvo-Ryan shows how a whole neighborhood blossoms when people join together and get involved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062906144
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	277,902
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's books include Grandpa's Corner Store, A Castle on Viola Street, City Green and Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen. She lives in Philadelphia.

DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's books include Grandpa's Corner Store, A Castle on Viola Street, City Green and Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen. She lives in Philadelphia.

Editorial Reviews

One girl’s motivation and cheery attitude buoys this picture book about urban renewal and community action. The kindly expressions of the various gardeners provide added warmth, making DiSalvo-Ryan’s fictional block a nice place to visit.” — Publishers Weekly

“DiSalvo-Ryan’s warm text is enhanced by her soft pencil-and-watercolor illustrations depicting a diverse neighborhood drawn together by a community project.” — ALA Booklist

“Genuinely warm… a pleasant, positive story of cooperation.” — School Library Journal

“An optimistic tale that manages to be both encouraging yet realistic about how to do some good in your very own backyard.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

DiSalvo-Ryan’s warm text is enhanced by her soft pencil-and-watercolor illustrations depicting a diverse neighborhood drawn together by a community project.

ALA Booklist

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.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

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

School Library Journal