The Bear's Garden

A black girl sees "the big, bustling city" as "a place to grow, a place to play, a place to love" in this affectionate ode to a community garden. In striking illustrations that combine sharp geometric forms with expressive brushy textures, Oliver shows the girl planting a seed in a tomato can that tips off the windowsill: "One night, the girl's imagination/ spilled onto the sidewalk,/ rolled across the street,/ and sprouted." "A baby garden!" she exclaims, caring for its seedlings until the unlikely lot blooms into "A place to grow,// A place to play,// A place to love," watched over by a beloved bear the child left behind. In an author's note, Colleen shares the foundation of her fanciful tale: "The Pacific Street Brooklyn Bear's Community Garden was founded in 1985 and named for a teddy bear that was sitting in the weeds." Ages 3-6. (Mar.)

K-Gr 2—An unnamed, brown-skinned girl with imagination, a seedling, and a stuffed panda bear is the catalyst for a community garden in her busy neighborhood. Despite being under her stuffed panda's watchful eye, the girl's seedling tumbles from her window, rolls across the street, and sprouts in the vacant lot where it comes to rest. "A baby garden!" cries the delighted girl upon finding her errant seedling. After she lavishes it with love, water, and protection, more seedlings grow, as does the interest of her busy neighbors. When the girl goes on a trip, she leaves her panda—stuffed full of her hope and love—in charge of watching over the garden. In her absence and with the help of the whole neighborhood, her baby garden becomes a place to grow, to play, and to love, for everyone. Colleen's text captures the hope, humor, and love of the protagonist. Oliver's illustrations not only mirror the text but tell important parts of the story. She uses single- and double-page spreads and panels, and her mostly dark background palette allows her foreground characters to pop in a wonderful way. She even manages to covey the emotions of the panda with subtle changes to its eyes and mouth. VERDICT An imaginative little girl who can always see the beauty in things transforms the empty city lot across from her apartment and in turn her neighborhood. A great addition to the growing urban gardens genre, and a good general purchase.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

"[An] affectionate ode to a community garden...striking illustrations that combine sharp geometric forms with expressive brushy textures" — Publishers Weekly

"A simple, powerful ode to community betterment." — Booklist

"A sweet reminder of how powerful communities can be when they come together to create something beautiful." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"An imaginative little girl who can always see the beauty in things transforms the empty city lot across from her apartment and in turn her neighborhood." —School Library Journal