Time to get inspired by the nonfiction picture book Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery and illustrated by Jessie Hartland.
When Mr. Tony (Tony Hillery) spotted an abandoned lot across from a school in Harlem, he had an idea. Getting help from the community, he cleaned it up and invited children to help him plant a garden. Through trial and error a farm emerged.
The colors in Jessie Hartland’s illustrations reflect the journey of the story. The first few pages capture the gray mood of the abandoned lot. As things turn around, the background colors move through shades of green to a lively and vibrant mix. Lovely!
The benefits of gardening with children are many. From getting outside for healthy exercise, to learning patience, to appreciating the taste of fresh vegetables, gardening is a win-win-win activity. Harlem Grown is about making it happen. Share a copy today and you will be glad you did.
Related suggestions:
- Visit http://www.harlemgrown.org/
- Kids Gardening has some practical tips for gardening with children .
- Junior Master Gardeners is a wonderful program. They have a curriculum that isn’t available online, but with a little digging in the kid’s page and under teacher resources they have activity suggestions like this cloning propagation technique.
Although designed to accompany another book, the delightful art-based activities in this video would be fun to accompany any gardening project.
See our growing list of books for gardening with children at Science Books for Kids.
Finally, we have a bunch of gardening ideas on our Pinterest Board.
Reading age : 4 – 8 years
Publisher : Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020)
ISBN-10 : 1534402314
ISBN-13 : 978-1534402317
Disclosure: The book was provided by my local library. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.