Something Is Growing [Hardcover]

Walter Lyon Krudop (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Little Peter finds and plants a seed in the dirt of a city street, gently helping it grow until is starts to take over the whole city, forcing a snoopy neighbor and a professor to investigate the situation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-In the first illustration, opposite the title page, a little boy is shown gazing at a painting of an intrepid Amazonian explorer. He sees-as will astute readers-a tiny seed stuck in the frame. In the next spread, he is reaching for the seed; the story begins as he carefully plants it in a crack in a New York City sidewalk. When the neighborhood snoop notices the plant, she enlists the help of Professor Thornbine (who closely resembles Teddy Roosevelt) to get to the root of the problem, but by this time the plant is growing at a prodigious rate. Grass sprouts on the street, vines creep through the subway, roots entangle cars, and tropical wading birds feed near the Brooklyn Bridge. Neither adult notices Peter, who is carefully tending the thriving vegetation on each page. Finally, an encounter on the steps of the 42nd Street Library results in a grand thank you from the professor to Peter for introducing "Gigantus floriticus" to the city. On the last page a picture of that scene, complete with a seed in its frame, is sent off "for the world to see." (The movers' overalls say "in full bloom" in Chinese). Larger-than-life acrylic paintings burst with greens, browns, and blues. Humorous details in the art will appeal to both children and adults, and perhaps lead to some reflection on city v. rain forest.
Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Nobody notices the boy Peter planting a seed in a small patch of dirt by a busy street, but the result--an unusual, towering plant that quickly starts spreading out of control--attracts a great deal of attention. The neighborhood busybody summons Professor Thornbine to get to the bottom of the matter, but the grown-ups fail to see the boy gardener, even though he cares for his creation right under their noses. Krudop's superb acrylic paintings surround readers with lush vegetation, providing a sensation of plant life encroaching on the city. Younger children will enjoy seeing Peter outsmart the adults and escape detection; older ones may pick up on some of the more complex (but not well-delineated) messages the author is trying to convey. Lauren Peterson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689319401
• ISBN-13: 978-0689319402
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,258,461 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 Hopeful and sly tale about how one person makes a difference, February 19, 2001

By 

"msmaravilla" (Goleta, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something Is Growing (Hardcover)

A little boy looking a a photo of a far away land notices something lodged in the picture frame. A seed! He plants it with care, whispering, "You're going to grow!"

Thus begins the tale of how one boy gives the city back to the jungle. My three year old loved the book, and now whispers to plants that they will grow. But Mama loved it even more, because it shed hope about how one passionate person can change the world around him or her, avoiding naysayers and overly conventional others. Slyly subversive, this book conveys the message that each of us can make a difference and radically alter the world for the better. When I am old and gray, a grandmother instead of a young mother, I will remember this book.

In the end, the city becomes a beautiful landscape, with cleaner water and air. A picture of the boy's triumph travels to Japan, where a little girl looks at it and notices something lodged in the frame...