Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! We had a fun Easter weekend going to a very rainy community Easter egg hunt and drying off at our local library afterward, then visiting my parents. This week I review two new picture books and four children’s books about gardening. My mom has always told me to wait until after taxes are due to start gardening. Taxes are due today, so I hope to get started on a patio garden in the next couple of weeks!
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Bookish Goods
Cute Frog Reading Statue by YuhonArtDesign
I often find garden statues a bit creepy, but this frog statue is adorable. $14+
New Releases
Manolo & the Unicorn by Jackie Azúa Kramer and Jonah Kramer, illustrated by Zach Manbeck (picture book)
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Manolo decides to present on unicorns for a school assignment about animals. Manolo has always loved unicorns and has read every book he can find about them. However, a classmate mocks him for choosing a unicorn, saying they’re not real and that boys don’t like unicorns. At first Manolo despairs, but a magical gallop on the back of his favorite animal gives Manolo the strength to embrace what gives him joy. This is a lovely and empowering book about defying gender norms and loving who you are.
A Garden in My Hands by Meera Sriram, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (picture book)
In this vibrantly illustrated picture book, a mother tells her daughter stories of the past — monsoons, ancestors, past weddings — as she applies henna to the girl’s hands in preparation for a wedding the next day. The girl compares the henna to a garden growing and blooming on her skin. It’s a joyful, lyrical book about the Indian tradition.
In my April new children’s book releases roundup for Book Riot’s main website, I also review these children’s books releasing today: Through the Fairy Door, Chef Edna, and Felice and the Wailing Woman. For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
There are so many excellent gardening books that have already been released this year! Here are four of my favorites.
Linh’s Rooftop Garden by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy (picture book)
This is the fourth book in JaNay Brown-Wood’s Where In the Garden? picture book series, which centers diverse children exploring different garden settings in search of a fruit or vegetable. Linh is searching for blueberries for a picnic with friends on her rooftop garden. Each book opens with a description of the fruit/vegetable followed by the child comparing and contrasting the description with other things growing in the garden. For instance, while a blackberry is round in shape like a blueberry, blueberries don’t have round balls all over them. I really love this series!
My Baba’s Garden by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith (picture book)
This is one of my favorite picture books of the year and is just as beautiful as the author and illustrator’s previous book, I Talk Like a River. It’s an intergenerational picture book about the special relationship between a boy and his baba —grandmother — who doesn’t speak very much English. The boy loves spending time with Baba. She teaches him about gardening but also about the importance of paying attention and noticing the little things. Together the pair pick up worms on concrete after it rains and return them to the earth. When his grandmother grows ill and can no longer garden, the boy remembers everything she taught him. This stunning picture book is based on the author’s experiences.
My Delicious Garden by Anne-Marie Fortin, illustrated by Julien Castanié (picture book)
A young girl logs what happens in the garden during all 12 months of the year. In April she re-pots seedling into bigger pots, in June she waters plants and inspects them for bugs, and in December she and her moms host a festive feast for their friends. I love how this follows the seasons and I also appreciate the casual queer rep with the girl having two moms.
Marya Khan and the Fabulous Jasmine Garden by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Ani Bushry (chapter book)
This is the second book in the Marya Khan chapter books series, about a Pakistani American 3rd grader, but each book can be read as a stand-alone. Marya’s school is building a community garden, and Marya’s class is chosen to work on the garden first. Marya is so excited, especially because her mom has been asked to help plan the garden! She wants to be the class leader for the project, but so does her rival Alexa. Meanwhile, all of Marya’s plans for the garden just aren’t working out. This is an engaging series with really great, nuanced friend and family dynamics.
The rain did not deter many from attending the community Easter egg hunt. Somehow the rain made the day even more fun.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
Until next Tuesday!
Margaret Kingsbury