Linh's Rooftop Garden

by JaNay Brown-Wood, Samara Hardy (Illustrator)

Overview

Linh searches for blueberries in her rooftop garden in this vibrant exploration of gardening and healthy eating, from the Where in the Garden? series.

Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? They’re small, blue, and grow on bushes—and, just a second, is that a blueberry? No, that’s a gooseberry. Where, oh, where could those blueberries be? Can you help Linh find them in time for her picnic?

The fourth title in the Where in the Garden? picture book series stars a young Asian girl who tours her rooftop garden with her mom to explore the fruits and vegetables growing there. Playful text guides young readers to hunt for visual clues and compare and contrast the unique characteristics of blueberries against peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and other produce that grows in Linh's rooftop garden.

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 tasty blueberry and banana pancake recipe for little chefs and their adult helpers to try together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682631683
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Series:	Where In the Garden? , #4
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.40(d)
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JaNay Brown-Wood grew up with a passion for writing and drafted her first series of unpublished picture books in elementary school. After earning a BA in psychology from UCLA, an MA in child development from CSU Sacramento, and a PHD in education from UC Davis, JaNay still loves storytelling! Follow her on Twitter @janaybrownwood and visit her on the web at JaNayBrownWood.com.

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. Follow her on Instagram @samara_hardy and visit her on the web at SamaraHardy.com.

• LITTLE GARDENERS AND THEIR GREEN THUMB FAMILIES will enjoy spotting familiar fruits and vegetables, and maybe even some that are brand-new to them!
  
• EDUCATORS AND LIBRARIANS seeking content to supplement food literacy learning
  
• HEALTHY EATING ADVOCATES looking for opportunities to introduce new foods to a little one’s palette
  

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2023

Gr 3–7—In the fourth "Where In the Garden?" book, Linh goes looking for blueberries for a family brunch party. An inquisitive Asian child, she sorts through what she knows about blueberries and compares those qualities to what she finds on the rooftop garden. Readers learn what is a blueberry and what is not; they learn what is a gooseberry, and what is not, what are the characteristics of a tomato, broccoli, and more. Linh cheerfully scours the garden treats and finally finds blueberries that she happily takes to brunch, which includes friends from the previous books. Linh's journey as she searches is methodical, straightforward, and full of descriptive words for children to try out; the story is compelling and educational as well. The illustrations, with realistic layers of the fruits, allow them to be lifelike, and an author's note includes recipes. VERDICT A solid addition to this series, and wonderful for most children's gardening or botanical shelves.—Annmarie Braithwaite

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
A family brunch would not be complete without homegrown blueberries!

In this fourth title in Brown-Wood’s Where in the Garden? series, Linh, a young Asian girl, is on a mission to find blueberries in her thriving rooftop garden for a small gathering. Along the way, she passes by a variety of different warm-weather produce, from gooseberries to tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, and more. Are they blueberries? No! Blueberries are “small, blue, and round in shape with a thin skin that can be eaten.” The characteristics of each fruit and vegetable are compared with those of blueberries, encouraging readers to examine the similarities and differences. In depicting the produce before it is harvested, the book also prompts children to draw connections between familiar fruits and vegetables and their origins. Hardy’s vibrant use of colors and the textured layers of hand-painted ink and watercolors add an enticing quality to the fresh produce. The lush garden is teeming with life, with birds, worms, and insects scattered throughout for children to discover. Just in time for the family brunch, Linh finds the blueberries and shares them with a diverse cast of characters, whom readers may recall from previous titles. The book ends with a delicious blueberry and banana pancake recipe, inviting readers to make their own brunch. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A charming garden-to-table experience. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"Hardy’s vibrant use of colors and the textured layers of hand-painted ink and watercolors add an enticing quality to the fresh produce. . . . A charming garden-to-table experience."—Kirkus Reviews

"A solid addition to this series. . . "—School Library Journal

From the Publisher