Product Description
Linh searches for blueberries in her rooftop garden in this vibrant exploration of gardening and healthy eating, from the Where in the Garden? series.
Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? They’re small, blue, and grow on bushes—and, just a second, is that a blueberry? No, that’s a gooseberry. Where, oh, where could those blueberries be? Can you help Linh find them in time for her picnic?
The fourth title in the Where in the Garden? picture book series stars a young Asian girl who tours her rooftop garden with her mom to explore the fruits and vegetables growing there. Playful text guides young readers to hunt for visual clues and compare and contrast the unique characteristics of blueberries against peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and other produce that grows in Linh's rooftop garden.
Artist Samara Hardy brings this multi-layered story to life with vivid, cheerful illustrations created from layers of hand painted ink and watercolor texture. Back matter includes a tasty blueberry and banana pancake recipe for little chefs and their adult helpers to try together.
From School Library Journal
Gr 3-7-In the fourth "Where In the Garden?" book, Linh goes looking for blueberries for a family brunch party. An inquisitive Asian child, she sorts through what she knows about blueberries and compares those qualities to what she finds on the rooftop garden. Readers learn what is a blueberry and what is not; they learn what is a gooseberry, and what is not, what are the characteristics of a tomato, broccoli, and more. Linh cheerfully scours the garden treats and finally finds blueberries that she happily takes to brunch, which includes friends from the previous books. Linh's journey as she searches is methodical, straightforward, and full of descriptive words for children to try out; the story is compelling and educational as well. The illustrations, with realistic layers of the fruits, allow them to be lifelike, and an author's note includes recipes. VERDICT A solid addition to this series, and wonderful for most children's gardening or botanical shelves.-Annmarie Braithwaiteα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"Hardy’s vibrant use of colors and the textured layers of hand-painted ink and watercolors add an enticing quality to the fresh produce. . . .A charming garden-to-table experience."—Kirkus Reviews
"A solid addition to this series. . . "—School Library Journal
About the Author
JaNay Brown-Wood grew up with a passion for writing and drafted her first series of unpublished picture books in the second grade. After earning a BA in Psychology from UCLA, an MA in Child Development from CSU, and a PhD in Education from UC Davis, JaNay still loves storytelling! Her first book, Imani’s Moon, was a NAESP Children’s Book of the Year and a Reading Is Fundamental Multicultural Book Pick. She lives with her family in California. Visit her on the web at JaNayBrownWood.com and follow her on Twitter @JaNayBrownWood.
Samara Hardy has always loved to draw. Unfortunately for her parents, this was often on their walls and furniture…with her mother’s lipstick. Realizing she might make a career out of this, she graduated with a degree in Illustration from Falmouth University and has since illustrated all kinds of wonderful things from picture books to reusable bags. She spends her days scribbling away and drawing by the sea in England. Visit her on the web at SamaraHardy.com and follow her on Instagram @Samara_Hardy.
