All That Grows

December 18, 2023
Wearing a serious expression, the narrator of this story about cultivation and categorization learns about plants from their older sister, who seems to retain all manner of related knowledge: “How does my sister know?” Told that magnolias smell like lemon cake, and quince trees only produce sweet fruit in warmer climes, the narrator helps their sister weed the plot in which she’s growing vegetables (“It’s hard work not to mistake one for the other”). Warm, dappled pastel art by Wong (When You Can Swim) captures sunlight playing over the East Asian–cued siblings as they tend the seedlings. Wondering why “only some plants are called vegetables,” the narrator keeps watering a thickly weeded patch that their sister has given up on; notes the value of wild-propagated daffodils, dandelions, and maples; and enjoys cooked fiddlehead ferns, which will “make you sick for days if you have them raw.” One day, white flowers that the sister has never before seen appear in the weedy patch, an occasion that vindicates the idea that the narrator, too, is a gardener. Played out through quiet internality, the narrator’s questioning curiosity, and the discovery they make while trusting their own intuition, provides quiet satisfaction. Ages 3–6. Agent: Wendi Gu, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc.

Starred review from March 1, 2024

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. VERDICT A thought-provoking book about the joys of the natural world, with a sprinkling of kid-friendly philosophy; this gentle book could be slipped into the gardening shelves or left out for browsers as curious as the main characters.-Sue Morgan

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024
Nature walks and gardening result in an introspective child thinking small (and big) thoughts about the natural world in this quiet, poetic account, effectively told in the first person. The narrator's sister, experienced and knowledgeable about many things leafy and blossoming, makes grand statements about the plants and flowers they encounter. "Magnolias smell like lemon cake," she announces, causing her sibling self-doubt because "they just smell like flowers to me." Her confident observations about quince trees, dandelions, and maple saplings have the narrator wondering how she knows so much, while our protagonist cannot grasp the complexities of goutweed or even name the big tree outside the window. Wong deftly plays with perspective throughout, often showing the children from overhead as they walk through the woods or pull weeds in the garden. Heavy on greens, his pastel paintings have a serene, hazy feel, evoking the season of spring. One striking sequence shows the child lying in bed at night, looking with curiosity out the window at the sparkling stars in the sky. Wong brings the action to a satisfying close when the child finds a plant that even confounds the older sister. They will look it up in one of her books, after they tend to the garden. This book emerges as both a celebration of nature and of a loving sibling bond. Brian E. Wilson

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 15, 2024
A child learns to share a love of plants and gardening with an older sister. Two siblings stroll past lemon cake-scented magnolias, budding quince trees, and blooming daffodils in early spring. The children tend the garden, and as the older sister shares more nuggets of information, such as how wild dandelion can be eaten with spaghetti, the young narrator listens earnestly. But the more the child learns, the more questions emerge, and the child lies awake at night overwhelmed with thoughts. Why are only some plants called vegetables, and what makes some of them flowers and others weeds? How does the child's older sister know so much? When an experiment in the garden leads to a discovery that stumps big sis, the child gains a sense of ownership and confidence as a gardener. The hopeful ending provides quiet reassurance to curious beginners daunted by the unknown. Wong's impressive command of color, light, and shadow in his textured pastel illustrations makes each scene thrum with life. Readers can almost feel the sunlight on their skin and hear the busy sounds of a fertile springtime garden. The protagonist's thoughtful musings are bound to spark further curiosity in readers as they examine their own observations and ideas about the natural world. The characters present East Asian. A gentle and meditative origin story of a budding young gardener. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
Nature walks and gardening result in an introspective child thinking small (and big) thoughts about the natural world in this quiet, poetic account, effectively told in the first person. The narrator's sister, experienced and knowledgeable about many things leafy and blossoming, makes grand statements about the plants and flowers they encounter. "Magnolias smell like lemon cake," she announces, causing her sibling self-doubt because "they just smell like flowers to me." Her confident observations about quince trees, dandelions, and maple saplings have the narrator wondering how she knows so much, while our protagonist cannot grasp the complexities of goutweed or even name the big tree outside the window. Wong deftly plays with perspective throughout, often showing the children from overhead as they walk through the woods or pull weeds in the garden. Heavy on greens, his pastel paintings have a serene, hazy feel, evoking the season of spring. One striking sequence shows the child lying in bed at night, looking with curiosity out the window at the sparkling stars in the sky. Wong brings the action to a satisfying close when the child finds a plant that even confounds the older sister. They will look it up in one of her books, after they tend to the garden. This book emerges as both a celebration of nature and of a loving sibling bond.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)