Review by Booklist Review
Zora's uneventful early summer takes an unexpected turn when she finds a box of zucchini seedlings. She takes them home and plants and nurtures them lots of them and before she knows it, her family is eating zucchini three times a day! Zora gives her abundant veggies to everyone she knows, but they keep on coming. Ever resourceful, she decides to hold a garden swap where neighbors can trade their homegrown produce. She recruits the help of her parents and siblings to make and post signs. And then she waits. At first it seems her idea is a flop, but this is an optimistic story, so the ending is dutifully delightful. By the end, the garden is full of people trading, talking, and laughing together. Simple watercolor illustrations in bright, friendly colors complement this happy message. Readers, like Zora, are left wondering what she should plant next.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-To cure her boredom during the summer break from school, Zora rides her bike to the hardware store. Lucky for her, the store is giving away small zucchini plants. She puts them in her bike basket, brings them home, and plants them in the family garden. The plants take off like gangbusters. By July, large green leaves and brightly colored yellow-orange blossoms as well as the first zucchini appear. The bounty continues, and Zora's family enjoys zucchini in many creative ways. But there is more zucchini than one family can possibly eat. So Zora eventually starts a Garden Swap. Neighbors respond mightily, and soon fruits and veggies ranging from raspberries to potatoes to green beans are up for grabs. With all the success, Zora looks forward to gardening next summer. Though a work of fiction, this story helps shed light on some important topics including finding ways to entertain yourself in the summer, gardening, and healthy eating, as well as community food shares. The story closes with a page about gardens, explaining that approximately one-third of the world's food never gets used. It encourages donating, preserving, and sharing extras from the garden. Text is easy to follow and goes well with the warm and inviting illustrations. VERDICT A fun and accessible title that lends itself to discussion of gardening, nutrition, and problem-solving.-Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
After planting a dozen free zucchini plants, Zora finds ways to share and trade her bumper crop with others in her community. "That's going to be a lot of zucchini," her father opines as Zora digs, plants, and waters. "We'll eat it!" she assures himand as the harvest rolls in, they do. In bread and soup; for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By August, even perpetually rosy Zora realizes that this is too much food for her family. She swaps zucchini for tomatoes with Mrs. Thompson next door, then loads up the basket of her bike, giving zucchini away to neighbors. Stillthere's more. Enlisting the help of her sister and brother, Zora arranges a Saturday Garden Swap. After a slow start, neighbors come through, swapping everything from apricots to peppers. "Zora traded and traded until all her zucchini was gone." While adult readers might scoff at the notion that Zora would be the only gardener in the neighborhood growing rampant zucchini plants, kids should warm to Zora's predicament and resourceful problem-solving. Raff's digitally colored watercolors have a cartoonlike, nave quality. Hands have four fingers, and facial features are depicted as curved lines and dots. The spreads provide plenty of detail for children to noticesuch as a cat's displeasure at getting splashed by the watering can. A sturdy effort from a small press focused on food literacy. (ideas for dealing with extra garden produce) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
