Secret gardeners Growing a community and healing the Earth

Three curious kids, neighbors in an apartment building, spy a junglelike, abandoned plot in their urban neighborhood, but they're not the only ones: the "sad old man" in their building gazes at it from his balcony, and when they slip through the fence to explore, they meet Amy, who's trying to turn the overgrown area into a garden. With the permission of their parents, the three kids help Amy, who teaches them about no-dig gardening, composting, and sowing. Soon, neighbors join in, and the plot thrives with buzzing bees and abundant fruits and vegetables. They even build a treehouse that's "perfect for spying," which leads them to solve a gentle mystery about their sad neighbor. While the main text is fiction, this gem of a picture book is teeming with instructive facts (further resources appear in the back matter). Inset boxes scattered across the pages provide more detailed information, and the warm watercolor illustrations reveal details of the gardening methods and the wide variety of life growing above and below ground. Fun and encouraging for kids eager to garden.

K-Gr 3--Replete with information on gardening and nature, this title will inform children and adults who are thinking of taking on a gardening project. Three children live in an apartment building and notice the apparently abandoned house next door. Working with several helpful adults, they create a marvelous garden using "no dig" techniques along with other gardening ideas that are fully explained. The explanations give this title thoughtful nonfiction underpinnings in modern gardening as well as beekeeping and other ecological topics. The text thoughtfully blends facts with the story and promotes a deeper connection with the natural world, whether readers are in an urban or rural setting--or somewhere in between. Illustrations provide information and engagement as the young people create a community and celebrate the power of growing things as a means to unite people. Back matter includes further information to help young gardeners and their adult supporters. VERDICT A solid introduction to gardening told through story and extremely well-presented facts. Highly recommended.--John Scott

Three young city dwellers help create a community garden. While spying on their neighbors, Bianca, Luna, and Billy accidentally break through a fence into the overgrown backyard of an abandoned house. They recognize a woman named Amy, who wants to plant a no-dig garden. With their parents' permission, the children join in. Other helpers, some of whom are transplants from other countries, contribute labor and expertise and begin to form a community. A trip to a beekeeper adds interest and excitement (plenty of facts on bees are included, too). The kids share the bounty of vegetables and fruit and build a treehouse. When a proposed parking garage threatens the garden, Luna's sleuthing and some activism result in a happy ending for the community. The text is in a small font (and even smaller in the carefully labeled and laid out colored sidebars), making it a better option for solo or one-on-one reading than for storytime. Nevertheless, readers will come away with plenty of insights about gardening, though some details (such as the growing of black currants) in this Swedish import are specific to northern Europe. Sunny colored pencil-crayon drawings brim with information; the pages can be crowded, but they are never busy. Bianca is brown-skinned; Amy, Luna, and Billy are light-skinned; the community is diverse. A nimble combination of mystery, activism, and gardening instruction. (information on carbon dioxide, no-dig gardens, and pollination; glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.