Rooftop garden

"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)

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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.