Amara's Farm

by JaNay Brown-Wood, Samara Hardy (Illustrator)

Overview

Amara searches for pumpkins on her farm in this vibrant exploration of gardening and healthy eating, from the Where in the Garden? series.

Amara is hosting a potluck for friends on her farm, and she needs help finding her pumpkins to serve a tasty dish. What do we know about pumpkins? They're large, round, and orange—and, wait a minute, is that a pumpkin? No, that's an apple. Where, oh, where could those pumpkins be? Can you help Amara find them in time for her potluck?

The first title in the Where in the Garden? picture book series stars Amara, a young Black girl who explores the crops growing on her family's intergenerational farm. Playful text guides young readers to hunt for visual clues and compare and contrast the unique characteristics of pumpkins against okra, cauliflower, eggplant, and other produce that grows on Amara's farm.

Artist Samara Hardy brings this multi-layered story to life with vivid, cheerful illustrations created from layers of hand painted ink and watercolor texture. Back matter includes a yummy molasses pumpkin bread recipe for little chefs and their adult helpers to try together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682631652
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Series:	Where In the Garden? , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	80,938
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

JaNay Brown-Wood grew up with a passion for writing and drafted her first series of unpublished picture books in the second grade. After earning a BA in Psychology from UCLA, an MA in Child Development from CSU, and a PhD in Education from UC Davis, JaNay still loves storytelling! Her first book, Imani's Moon, was a NAESP Children's Book of the Year and a Reading Is Fundamental Multicultural Book Pick. She lives with her family in California.

Samara Hardy has always loved to draw. Unfortunately for her parents, this was often on their walls and furniture...with her mother's lipstick. Realizing she might make a career out of this, she graduated with a degree in Illustration from Falmouth University and has since illustrated all kinds of wonderful things from picture books to reusable bags. She spends her days scribbling away and drawing by the sea in England.

Editorial Reviews

2021-07-27
Amara needs help finding pumpkins on her farm; can you help her?

Amara, a young Black girl in overalls with Afro puffs, has many plants on the farm she runs with her elderly caregivers. Today she must find her pumpkins for her autumn potluck. The text describes pumpkins in detail and then proposes, “Let’s help Amara find her pumpkins!” As Amara wanders around her farm looking at various fruits and vegetables, the text asks readers, “Is that a pumpkin?” on the verso, and then answers, “No. That’s an apple” (or a persimmon, or a potato), and points out the differences and similarities between it and a pumpkin. This goes on until Amara is close to giving up; at last she spots the pumpkins, and the potluck is saved. A small but diverse group of friends appears for an outdoor meal, and a recipe for molasses pumpkin bread is included at the end. The premise of this story will delight preschoolers who like to show off what they know, answering questions and searching the pages for pumpkins. Some may get a bit impatient as the search runs rather long, but the inclusion of produce less common in some regions of the United States, such as kumquats, figs, and okra, fights boredom. The illustrations are full of delightful details, and the wonderfully busy endpapers are scrumptious.

A fun fall pick for interactive storytelling. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews