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Summary
Summary
The bond between a child and his grandmother grows as they tend her garden together.
A young boy spends his mornings with his beloved Baba, his grandmother. She doesn't speak much English, but they connect through gestures, gardening, eating, and walking to school together. Marked by memories of wartime scarcity, Baba cherishes food, and the boy learns to do the same. Eventually, Baba needs to move in with the boy and his parents, and he has the chance to care for her as she's always cared for him.
Inspired by memories from poet Jordan Scott's childhood, with beautiful, dreamlike illustrations by award-winning illustrator Sydney Smith, My Baba's Garden is a deeply personal story that evokes universal emotions. Like Scott and Smith's previous collaboration I Talk Like a River , winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, My Baba's Garden lends wistful appreciation to cherished time with family.
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Evanston Public Library Great Book for Kids
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4--From the brilliant pair that created I Talk Like a River comes a beautiful tale of family and the love shared between a child and grandparent. A young boy is lucky enough to spend time with Baba, his Polish grandmother, every day before and after school. While they do not share much in the way of a spoken language, they have an understanding and bond that goes much deeper. Baba has taught the young child to appreciate food, gardens, and the unique gift of worms. Knowing that Baba suffered much in Poland before coming to British Columbia, her grandson absorbs her lessons, and when she comes to live in his house, he carries on her wisdom when roles are reversed. Gorgeous illustrations brim with emotional use of dappled light and color; wordless passages evoke the emotional ties and trust between these two characters. This is outstanding storytelling in a marvelous picture book that deserves a place in all collections. VERDICT This intergenerational story will provide young people with an opportunity to share those special bonds they have with an older person and hopefully encourage them to reflect on the simple acts that connect one generation to the next.--John Scott
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this picture book by the creators of I Talk Like a River, first-person lines from a child speaker describe a grandmother who "lives in a chicken coop beside a highway," where the child is dropped off every morning before school. Scott's gentle narration reveals that "my Baba didn't have very much food for/ a long, long time." Now, the woman grows and saves it in the small residence, "jars of pickles in the bathroom, garlic hanging in the shower, beets on the shoe rack." The two don't have many words in common, but Baba serves the protagonist oatmeal each morning--and after a spill, picks it up, "kisses the oatmeal, puts it back into my bowl, and gently squeezes my cheeks." During rainy-day walks, Baba displays another form of self-reliance, kneeling to collect worms for her garden, and helping to nourish the soil that will in turn provide sustenance. When Baba grows older and moves to the young grandchild's house, it's a reversal that sees the narrator bringing her oatmeal, planting seeds in her room... and heading out into the rain for worms. Smith captures the duo's close bond in intimate, inky portraits that linger on their tan hands and faces as well as on images of precious food carefully grown and stored. Together, Scott and Smith create a portrait of a love which needs few words. An author's preface offers a remembrance of Scott's Polish Baba. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
The creators of I Talk like a River (2020) here pay homage to Scott's grandmother and her pivotal role in his childhood. Every day, Dad drives Jordan to Baba's house: a converted chicken coop next to a sulfur mill, beside a highway. Baba feeds him breakfast (oatmeal with butter and vegetables from her garden) and then walks him to and from school; on rainy days, they collect worms to add to Baba's garden. She doesn't speak much English, but the two communicate through gestures, food, and the loving bond they share. Smith's evocative watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are rendered in a primitive style, reminiscent of paintings a young child might create. He uses grays, greens, and blues predominantly, effectively representing the rainy climate of British Columbia's southwest coast, where the story is set. Facial features are often abbreviated or lacking, and most edges are blurred, suggesting that memory is not always 20/20. The details of Baba's house (garden produce in every nook and cranny, photos from the old country, sunlight streaming through her kitchen window) and garden encourage extended viewing, as will tender, quiet moments between the two characters. When Baba's home is razed, she moves to Jordan's house. Much changes (no garden, no daily walks) but the grandparent-child bond remains strong. Share this heartfelt testament to family widely.