The Garden of Happiness [Hardcover]

Erika Tamar (Author), Barbara Lambase (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A littered lot in New York’s Alphabet City is transformed into a lush garden by people of the neighborhood. Young Marisol finds a small patch of her own, where she plants a large, flat seed. As it grows up and up, it surprises everyone and becomes the most special plant in the Garden of Happiness. “A book with the welcome message that beauty can be everywhere.”--Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tamar, the author of such tough-minded YA novels as Fair Game, turns dewy-eyed in her first picture book, an idealistic tale about a community garden in a rundown part of New York City. A studiously multiethnic coalition of neighbors claims an empty lot, and there Mrs. Willie Mae Washington plants black-eyed peas and greens "like on my daddy's farm in Alabama"; Mr. Singh raises valore, as he did in Bangladesh; etc. Young Marisol, pining to grow something, too, plants a seed she finds on the sidewalk and waters it faithfully. She is ecstatic when a sunflower finally blossoms and then grief-stricken when, at the end of the season, it dies. Overawed dialogue ("Los girasoles from Mexico, where they bring joy to the roadside," says old Mrs. Garcia), exaggerated emotions and an unlikely happy ending turn this outing into a sort of urban Marisol of Sunnybrook Farm. Lambase, a debut illustrator, wisely interprets the goings-on as fantastic. Her exuberant oil paintings tweak perspectives to the extent that Marisol's "flower of sunshine" reaches to a fifth-story window, and her warm palette bathes the characters in a protective golden light. Those in search of a more believable treatment of the multicultural garden theme might try DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's City Green (Morrow, 1994). Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Marisol, who lives near East Houston Street on New York City's Lower East Side, is surprised one morning to see her neighbors busily clearing a garbage-filled lot. Soon after, they plant the vegetables that remind them of the places where they grew up. Mrs. Washington has seeds for black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes; Mr. Ortiz watches over his habichuelas from Puerto Rico; Mr. Singh has beans from Bangladesh; Mr. Castro has tomato seedlings. There isn't much space for Marisol, but she does plant one seed that grows into a beautiful sunflower. Then fall comes, and it dies. All is not lost, though, for the teenagers who have been seeking inspiration for a wall mural across the street create a sunny splash of giant yellow flowers. Full-page oil paintings explode with bright colors and offbeat perspectives. Those looking for an urban, multicultural picture book and even a tie-in to a gardening project will enjoy this straightforward story.?Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152305823
• ISBN-13: 978-0152305826
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anyone, November 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Garden of Happiness (Hardcover)

I am a teacher and I use this book in a lesson to my first graders. This book is multicultural without being obvious about it. The characters come from all different places which is evident in their speaking and what they grow in the garden. My students love the bright and colorful pictures. This book gives great ideas about what to grow in a garden and shares many different ideas about what a garden is.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars how gardeners of various sexes ages and cultural harmonize, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Garden of Happiness (Hardcover)

A wonderful story for all ages. Especially for gardeners. "Growing" in an urban setting is the theme. The reader becomes engaged not only in the growing things but also how people, who were at first unrelated, grow and their lives become intertwined. Thus the transformation of an entire community!