Tuesday, March 22, 2022

The Garden We Share by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Julianna Swaney

The Garden We Share by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Julianna Swaney

Published March 2022 North South Books 

Blurb:

This inspiring picture book written by ZoĆ« Tucker and illustrated by Julianna Swaney—the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines—celebrates the friendship between a young girl and an elderly woman as they plant seeds in a community garden alongside friends and neighbors, waiting for the seeds to flower. By mid-summer, the friends welcome a rainbow of color in the garden and picnics in the sun. At harvest, the young girl’s elderly friend is bed-ridden, but jubilant as they share baskets with red tomatoes and snap peas amid the sweet smell of lavender. When the last leaves fall, everything is different. But in the spring, hope arises anew.

So much to love about this book, it is beautiful.  

A story about family, that special bond between a grandparent and a child, and precious time spent in the garden, and in the kitchen, cooking up the spoils of the garden.  I love the community garden and those that spend time there. Yes there's gardening, but there's also time just spent there enjoying the garden, sharing food and stories.  Without being explicit, this story covers a lot... patience, the change of seasons, community, sustainability and loss.  The little girl in this book has a concrete 'thing' to help her remember her grandmother, the garden, as well as her grandmother's friends, reminding us that those that are still here help keep the memories of those gone alive. 

The last illustration is so very clever, showing us that those we love are with us always.


Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books for the opportunity to review this title.