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Summary
Summary
Granny may be old, but she's certainly not feeble - or idle! She's built a splendid vegetable garden from scratch on the rooftop of her Chengdu apartment building.
She collects thrown-away produce to feed her animals or make compost for the garden.
She waters, weeds, and shows the neighborhood kids how to care for her plants: with love, patience, and pride.
Come harvest time, Granny gathers her fresh produce and cooks up a delicious feast for her friends and family. She even sends them off with extra bags of goodies so people can make their own yummy, healthy meals at home!
Debut author/illustrator Tang Wei creates a love letter to an indomitable grandma of the city, inspired by her own childhood and a beloved relative. Combining a fun, rhythmic text reminiscent of Chinese folk nursery rhymes with earthy, vibrant colored pencil drawings, Wei shows how one person can create a beautiful green space in the heart of the concrete jungle and bring together an entire community.
P R A I S E
★ "This heartwarming tale is one to share and treasure."
- BookPage (starred)
★ "In this exquisite debut inspired by her childhood and a precious elder, Wei lovingly cultivates a picture book that captures Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, with expressionistic folk art and vibrant, textured colored-pencil illustrations... Readers with a green thumb will admire Granny's passion for giving back to the community while living happily and healthily in green spaces."
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred)
Author Notes
Tang Wei is a rising young Chinese illustrator from Sichuan province. She is graduate of Sichuan Xihua University's animation program and was a 2021 Finalist in the Shanghai International Children's Book Fair's Golden Pinwheel Illustration Awards. Grandma's Roof Garden is her debut work as an author/illustrator and a true book of her heart.
Kelly Zhang is a first-generation Chinese immigrant, bilingual author, and literary translator based in Ottawa, Canada. She writes heartfelt stories inspired by her heritage culture and informed by her lived experiences. Kelly also translates contemporary children's fiction originating from mainland China and the Chinese diaspora, and always seeks to elevate the voices of young emerging writers and women creatives. Her debut picture book, Take Me to Laolao , is forthcoming with Quill Tree/HC in Winter 2024. She translates for the New York Times for Kids (China edition) and regularly contributes to the WorldKidLit Blog. Connect with Kelly on Twitter (@KellyZhang_YL), or visit her website: www.kellyzhangyl.com.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Wearing a weather-worn apron and pulling her shopping cart, a grandmother makes the trek from the top of her apartment tower in southwest China to a busy market. Passersby look on as she "does things that may seem funny or strange," including opting for damaged produce left behind by market vendors. What they don't know is that Granny finds a use for everything as she, in an impressive solo effort, grows a rooftop garden from scratch. Expressive colored pencil illustration gives life to the vegetables as Granny sees them ("my gorgeous, chubby veggie children"). At harvest time, Granny enthusiastically shares her abundance with neighbors and shows off her cooking prowess as well, whipping up a farm-to-table feast for guests before sending them home with the bounty. Wei's whimsical vegetable-studded spreads complement rhythmic text in this buoyant, character-driven debut. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
An eccentric elderly Chinese woman keeps a garden on the roof of her building, enriching the lives of everyone around her. Granny, who lives in a busy city in southwest China, visits the market but takes only the leftover produce no one wants. She rushes up the stairs to the roof, feeds her chickens with the damaged vegetables, and composts the rest. She tends to her many plants and vegetables, her "gorgeous, chubby veggie children," each with distinct personalities (eggplants are "quite shy," while "hot-tempered" chili peppers "quarrel all the time"). Colored-pencil drawings capture Granny's vivacious energy in a variety of compositions, while stylized human forms with no necks and solid bodies create whimsy. Translated from Chinese, the poetic text, which sometimes rhymes, is full of rich sensory imagery and vocabulary ("cucumbers drizzled with fragrant vinegar, / Tofu stewed with wood ear mushroom"), though some phrasing is awkward ("Who's over there, crying and throwing a fit?"). Granny is a role model for sure, but such a self-actualized elderly character may not resonate with young readers. Nevertheless, her enthusiasm is contagious as she grows her food, cooks up a storm for her family and neighbors, and finally sends everyone home with a "pre-filled reusable bag" of healthy food. Inspiring and delicious. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
An energetic urban granny cultivates a rooftop garden in her own quirky, independent fashion. She exults as her chickens and geese feast on wilted produce rescued from market stalls and cheers on the exuberant growth of her own feisty (and talkative) veggies. After she cheerfully distributes overflowing baskets of her garden bounty to neighbors, she welcomes her own large family to a magnificent feast. Even after all have savored her splendid dishes, leftovers abound--some packed to send home with guests, some prepped for Granny's next breakfast. Odd she may be, but everyone loves this spirited granny. Bursting with vibrant color and detail, the distinctive art by the debut author-illustrator pops with lively gestures and idiosyncratic characters. The poetic translation from the Chinese is spiced with flavorful language and occasional rhyme. An endnote describes how the author's own inventive, ever-active Apo inspired this loving portrayal of an effervescent free spirit--readers will relish this joy-filled soul who sows with enthusiasm and reaps a bounty of love to share with all.
