Rosario's Fig Tree

by Charis Wahl, Luc Melanson (Illustrator)

Overview

Every spring the little girl who lives next door to Rosario helps him plant vegetables. One spring, Rosario plants a fig tree, which soon bears sweet purple fruit. But when fall comes, he bends it over and buries it in the ground. What kind of magic is Rosario performing?

The next spring, on planting day, the little girl and Rosario make holes for tomato plants, push in stakes for beans and plant other vegetables. Then Rosario begins to unearth the buried fig tree. It looks dead, for sure. But one hot sunny day, a fresh green leaf appears.

Inspired by her next-door neighbor, Charis Wahl has written a sweet and simple story about a little girl’s first-hand experience with the magic of gardening. The story is complemented by Luc Melanson’s gently humorous illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554983414
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	03/01/2015
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Charis Wahl is an author and editor of books for children and adults. Her next-door neighbor of thirty-five years inspired her to write this book. She lives in downtown Toronto.

Luc Melanson is a Governor General's Award-winning illustrator. He lives in Laval, Quebec.

Visit Luc Melanson's website:
http://www.lucmelanson.com/

Editorial Reviews

…[a] story of cross-cultural neighborliness…Melanson's digital art has a charming oddness…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

A child's wonder at the care it takes to make things grow and the joys of fresh figs make an engaging story.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Perfect to introduce the wonder of growing things, this title is a recommended general purchase for all libraries.” — School Library Journal

“Beautifully written in a deceptively simple style. . . . Young readers will learn a great deal from this amazing picture book.” — CM Magazine

“This sweetly thoughtful story explores life and the wonders of gardening, as well as the edifying nature of intergenerational friendships.” — Booklist

“This sweet, simple tale of an unusual friendship is a winning choice.” — Resource Links

“[A] story of cross-cultural neighborliness.” — New York Times

From the Publisher

This sweet, simple tale of an unusual friendship is a winning choice.

Resource Links

This sweetly thoughtful story explores life and the wonders of gardening, as well as the edifying nature of intergenerational friendships.

Booklist

Beautifully written in a deceptively simple style. . . . Young readers will learn a great deal from this amazing picture book.

CM Magazine

[A] story of cross-cultural neighborliness.

New York Times

2015-01-10
Old Rosario is a magician, though not the kind that pulls rabbits out of hats.The unnamed little girl who lives next door to Rosario thinks he is a magician because he grows everything. She helps him dig the soil and lay the seeds for many vegetables, some of which she does not even recognize. But one spring he takes a pot out that has a tree in it. They live in a place that is too cold for figs, but this is a fig tree, and Rosario loves it. And it does grow figs, which are "kind of squishy, but they are as sweet as peaches." In late fall, Rosario does a strange thing—he buries the fig tree! The girl wonders if it is dead, but Rosario is not sad: He is a magician with growing things. An unusual but still-used method for overwintering a fig tree is described (children of Italian or Latino ancestry might be more familiar with their grandparents' practice of wrapping the entire tree in cloth), and the joy of growing things is well-delineated. The digitally produced images are bright with summer colors, and the figures have elongated bodies and funny ovoid heads with vivid expressions. A child's wonder at the care it takes to make things grow and the joys of fresh figs make an engaging story. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews