What Grew in Larry's Garden

by Laura Alary, Kass Reich

Overview

A girl and her neighbor grow a community from their garden. Grace thinks Larry’s garden is one of the wonders of the world. In his tiny backyard, Larry grows extraordinary vegetables, with Grace as his helper. They water and weed, plant and prune, hoe and harvest. And whenever there’s a problem, Grace and Larry solve it together. Grace soon learns that Larry has big plans for the vegetables in his garden. And when the garden faces its biggest problem yet, Grace follows Larry’s example to find the perfect solution. Amazing things can grow when you tend your garden with kindness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525305313
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	74 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Laura Alary believes in writing stories that make us bigger on the inside. She is constantly reading and wondering and learning so that she can keep up with all the questions her children ask — especially about science and life on Earth. She grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and currently lives in Toronto with her three children.;After graduating with a degree in Art Education from Concordia University, Kass Reich worked for three years in Beijing as an early childhood educator — that’s what inspired her to start making picture books. Her previous picture books include Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest and the Megabat series. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

02/03/2020

In this gentle narrative celebrating diligence, problem solving, and community, a girl helps nurture her neighbor’s backyard vegetables. Together, Grace and Larry “watered and weeded,” researching and instituting methods to deter insects, gastropods, and squirrels. But the duo faces a different challenge when Larry’s neighbor adds a high fence panel that “makes him feel safe,” enveloping the garden in darkness. Alary’s diction is evocative (“buttery yellow carrots and purple potatoes. Rainbow chard and scarlet runner beans. Rosy tomatoes the color of ripe peaches”), and Reich’s artwork, done in gouache and colored pencils with digital touches, has an expressive richness. Though contemporary context may cast the recurring motif of fences in a specific light, an author’s note drives home the theme of sowing compassion, revealing the real-life inspiration: teacher Larry Zacharko and his tomato project, which helped students “who had troubles both at home and at school” to see the possibility of cultivating personal and communal growth. Ages 4–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A warmhearted lesson in community and creative thinking, delivered simply.—Kirkus Reviews

[A] gentle narrative celebrating diligence, problem solving, and community ...—Publishers Weekly

Based on a true story, Alary perfectly captures Larry‘s passion and Reich‘s illustrations help this lovely picture book bloom.—Globe and Mail

... a truly charming read that proves amazing things can grow in both our garden's and our lives when tended with human kindness and patience.—CM Magazine

... an appealing story of building community ...—Cooperative Children‘s Book Center

From the Publisher

2020-01-12
Young Grace, the titular Larry's neighbor, learns that a garden is more than the sum of its produce.

Larry, white-haired, bearded, and bespectacled, grows rainbow chard, zebra-striped tomatoes, and purple potatoes in his garden, where Grace helps plant, prune, hoe, and harvest. When problems arise—bugs in the carrots, for instance—Larry's philosophy is summed up in what he says first: "We can figure this out." He and Grace (both appear white) plant marigolds to discourage bugs and build wire cages to protect tomatoes from squirrels. Alary's unfussy narrative and Reich's cheery, bright art create a welcoming and friendly feel for the neighborhood and the garden. "We're not just growing vegetables," Larry tells Grace. The tomato seedlings that he and Grace start over the winter have sprouted from seeds they gathered. Larry, a teacher, takes the tomato seedlings to school, where each is nurtured by a student, then given with a note of explanation to a neighbor the student selects. An author's note explains that the story was inspired by a real-life teacher who created this project as a way to build community. In the story, when Grace and Larry encounter a problem caused by a neighbor's fence, it is Grace who takes what she has learned from gardening with Larry and helps to create a positive solution.

A warmhearted lesson in community and creative thinking, delivered simply. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews