Rooftop Garden

by Danna Smith, Pati Aguilera (Illustrator), Holly Turton (Performed by)

Overview

“A community grows plants to the tune of an original song . . . The backmatter includes a musical score for the song, tips to start a garden, and a primer on the stages of plant growth. With a neat musical twist, this picture book grows on you” – Kirkus Reviews

A group of city friends work diligently together to grow herbs and vegetables in a rooftop garden. Set to a foot-tappin’ original tune, this rhythmic, rhyming story will have kids singing enthusiastically about the six stages of plant growth. The story concludes with a summer harvest and feast that celebrates the gardeners’ commitment. Includes QR code access to audio singalong and video animation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646864966
Publisher:	Barefoot Books
Publication date:	05/16/2022
Series:	Barefoot Singalongs
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	1,050,201
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Danna Smith is a poet and an award-winning author of numerous books for children. Her nonfiction picture book, The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry, received two starred reviews, is a Junior Library Guild Selection, and the recipient of Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the year. Danna is currently living and writing in northern California. For more information about her books, upcoming releases, and teaching activities, visit her website at www.dannasmithbooks.com.

When Pati Aguilera was a child, she liked to do all kinds of crafts, draw, and spend a lot of time sorting and looking at her pencils. She is Chilean, and has lived a large part of her life in the city of Santiago, where she studied design and became a book illustrator. Today she lives in the countryside with her partner and two daughters, and is building her biggest craft project of her life: her own house! Pati creates her artwork digitally so she can change the composition and palette until she achieves the desired balance and harmony.

Editorial Reviews

03/28/2022

“Grow garden!/ Grow, grow, grow!” An inclusive group of neighbors care for raised rooftop beds of herbs and veggies in this festive picture book turned song. As pages build to a final glorious feast, sunny scenes depict people of varying abilities, ages, ethnicities, and skin tones joyfully planting seeds, labeling signs, watering, weeding, debugging, and harvesting. Though Smith’s rhythmic text (“Lots of sun and a little shade/ Bring lettuce, carrots, mint and sage”) occasionally fails to scan, Aguilera’s busy digital illustrations and simple, unlined smiling figures lend themselves to a high-spirited feel. A linked-to website offers access to an animated version of the book set to a catchy tune and sung by Holly Turton. Back matter includes growing tips, plant stages, and a musical score. Ages 3–7. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A community grows plants to the tune of an original song . . . The backmatter includes a musical score for the song, tips to start a garden, and a primer on the stages of plant growth. With a neat musical twist, this picture book grows on you” – Kirkus Reviews

“An inclusive group of neighbors care for raised rooftop beds of herbs and veggies in this festive picture book turned song” – Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2022-02-09
A community grows plants to the tune of an original song.

In an unnamed city, neighbors, friends, and families gather to grow a garden on the roof of a colorful building. The community members, of various skin colors, ages, and backgrounds, happily plant seeds, mark rows of veggies, water soil, and harvest food used to cook up a feast that they all enjoy together. The timeline is compressed, and the frustration that sometimes comes with gardening is omitted. However, the joy of growing one's own food and enjoying it with others comes through loud and clear: “A garden feast! Oh, what a treat. // Prepare the food and take a seat.” The singsong text, which is narrated in rhyme with repetition of the first and last lines of each quatrain, doesn’t highlight any particular characters or families. The words are actually lyrics to a song composed for the book and sung by British vocalist Holly Torton. While the lyrics might work better when sung rather than read, the book can be appreciated for its effort at combining music with instructional storytelling. Aguilera's colorful illustrations keep things lively with motion and busy activity on the crowded pages; each scene is full of people interacting with each other and working hard toward a common goal. The backmatter includes a musical score for the song, tips to start a garden, a primer on the stages of plant growth, and a QR code to access tie-in media online.(This book was reviewed digitally.)

With a neat musical twist, this picture book grows on you. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews