The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having Enough (CitizenKid)
by Katie Smith Milway (Author) Sylvie Daigneault (Illustrator)
From the best-selling author of One Hen comes the inspiring story of one struggling farming family in Honduras and their journey to growing enough food to meet their needs. Based on the real story of farm transformation underway in Honduras and many other countries, this book offers children ways they can be part of the movement to grow "good gardens" and foster food security.
Eleven-year-old María Luz and her family live on a small farm. This year their crop is poor, and they may not have enough to eat or to sell for other essentials, such as health care, school uniforms and books.
When María's father must leave home to find work, she is left in charge of their garden. Then a new teacher comes to María's school and introduces her to sustainable farming practices that yield good crops. As María begins to use the same methods at home, she too sees improvements, which allow her family to edge their way out of the grip of the greedy "coyotes"—the middlemen who make profits on the backs of poor farmers. Little by little, the farms—and the hopes—of María and her neighbors are transformed as good gardens begin to grow.
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Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5--When Maria Luz's Papa makes the tough decision to leave their hillside home in Honduras to seek employment elsewhere, he puts the girl in charge of planting and tending their winter garden. The land has taken a beating, rain has been scarce, and invading insects have taken more than their share of the meager crops. It is a big responsibility for Maria, but fortunately for her and her family, a new teacher has arrived at her school with fresh ideas for how to feed and restore the soil. As Maria applies new techniques such as terracing, composting, and companion planting, she also learns that they need not rely on the unscrupulous "coyotes" who have historically acted as loan sharks and middlemen, denying the villagers any kind of profit and independence that would help them get ahead. Taken at a literal level, this is a story of how sustainable farming practices can nourish families and the earth simultaneously. On a deeper level, it is about social justice and self-sustaining economies, which make this a book that can span a broader interest level. The stylized colored-pencil artwork is appropriately lush and idealized. The "coyotes" are literally depicted as men with animal heads. The book concludes with information about the real families and teacher behind this story, as well as resources and suggestions for getting involved in gardening or supporting worldwide food security.--Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Shane W. Evans is the illustrator of many picture books for children, including The Way a Door Closes, a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award winner; Underground, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; My Brother Charlie, a NAACP Image Award winner; We March and Lillian's Right to Vote, Jane Addams Award winners; as well as Chocolate Me! and Mixed Me! He has exhibited his art in West Africa and Paris, as well as in Chicago, New York, and other major U.S. cities. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where he runs Dream Studio, a community art space.
JUV030040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
