Review - The Garden We Share

The Garden We Share
by Zoë Tucker
illustrated by Julianna Swaney
Date: 2022
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

To everything there is a season in this beautiful story about gardening, seasons, and treasured memories.

This inspiring picture book written by Zoë 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.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a gentle picture book about gardening, the seasons, and intergenerational friendship. A little girl helps her elderly friend plant seeds in the garden early in the year. As they nurture their garden, the plants grow and create a lovely space where the community can spend time and share the bounty. As the year cycles back around to the beginning, there are changes in people's lives... but the little girl continues on, grateful for the memories of gardening with her friend.

I really enjoyed the descriptive language used here, which evokes a lush and abundant garden full of all sorts of wonderful things to share with the community. The illustrations, largely done in a warm colour palette, are the perfect complement to the text. I'm not sure how much appeal this will have to kids looking for an engaging story, but I can see the value of a book like this in a classroom, especially accompanying teaching about gardening or seasons.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - Greta and the Giants

Greta and the Giants
by Zoë Tucker
illustrated by Zoe Persico
Date: 2019
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

This inspiring picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg—the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world’s climate crisis—using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. When the Giants first came to the forest, they chopped down trees to make houses. Then they chopped down more trees and made even bigger homes. The houses grew into towns and the towns grew into cities, until now there is hardly any forest left. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how? Luckily, Greta has an idea…

A section at the back explains that, in reality, the fight against the “giants” isn’t over and explains how you can help Greta in her fight.

This book has been printed sustainably in the US on 100% recycled paper. By buying a copy of this book, you are making a donation of 3% of the cover price to 350.org.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a nice allegorical story about Greta Thunberg's activism and leadership on climate change. In this narrative, governments and industry are represented by giants who destroy the environment, leaving the animals fearing for their future. Nobody wants to do anything because everybody is afraid of standing up to the giants. Everybody except Greta, that is. She starts by herself, but is soon joined by others, until there are so many that their complaints can no longer be ignored.

Unlike in real life, the giants in this story actually have a conscience. Once it's pointed out to them that they're doing great harm, they change their ways and everybody lives happily ever after. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that the resolution feels unrealistic and way too simple. In reality, greed is driving so much of the problem, and it's going to take more than a few protesters to change anyone's mind. The problem extends to the suggestions for helping that are included at the back of the book. While doing something is better than doing nothing, personal choices aren't really going to have much of an effect (especially if not everybody is doing them). Then again, I guess it would be a little depressing for a picture book to tell children that there's really nothing they can do and that their fate is dependent upon people who value money above all else.

The illustrations are quite cute, very colourful and charming. I like the animals with their protest signs. The whole thing is a great starting point for teaching young children about the climate change fight and what some people are doing to try to avoid a planetary catastrophe. It might be too political for some, but it's an important message that everyone needs to hear, whether they agree with it or not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Ada Lovelace and the Number-Crunching Machine

Ada Lovelace and the Number-Crunching Machine
by Zoë Tucker
illustrated by Rachel Katstaller
Date: 2019
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

She invents crazy contraptions, solves big sums, and reads all the books in the library.

Although she may look like an ordinary little girl, Ada Lovelace is about to change the world.

Zoë Tucker and Rachel Katstaller tell the amazing true story of a little girl who didn't go to school, but grew up to create the world's first computer program.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is one of the stronger kids' biographies about Ada Lovelace I've read. It gives a brief biographical sketch in the main text, including her association with Charles Babbage. The biographical notes at the end, though, I think are much more clear. The main text and pictures sort of imply that Ada and Babbage built the Analytical Engine (it was never built in its entirety). The little note at the end talks more about what Ada actually did with her code and translations, so it's a good idea to read that part of the book, too!

The illustrations are of a style that I'm not always a fan of. But here, they kind of work. Although, I was a bit confused by the crow that appears throughout; is it supposed to represent a fascination with bird flight... or did she actually have a pet crow?

Overall, this is a nice picture-book biography about a pioneering woman. Strong endnotes add more interest. I would recommend this book to kids interested in science or computers.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5