We are a garden A story of how diversity took root in America

Overly glossy metaphor undermines this narrative nonfiction explanation of how the U.S. became culturally and racially diverse. Peters employs a metaphor of wind, chronologically tracing human migration to the North American continent, from First Nations peoples ("Long ago a strong wind blew. It blew people, like seeds, to a new land") to contemporary immigrants ("The wind blows in a thirteen-year-old refugee who adjusts her head scarf... and declares she will be a doctor someday"). Tentler-Krylov contributes sweeping, vintage-inspired watercolors, though scenes aboard slave ships and portrayals of Chinese railroad workers feel racially insensitive, portraying stereotyped features. In this uneven effort, the metaphor elides historical context, lending an equivalent lens to voluntary emigration and forced migration: "it blew in a sailing ship carrying boys and men who hoped to find their fortune" is followed by "the wind blew in slave ship after slave ship" and "it blew in ships carrying families who were weary of hunger." Back matter includes a glossary, an author's note clarifying the groups portrayed, and a select bibliography. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)

From the first humans in North America to the immigrants and refugees of today, the story of America's diversity is the story of migration. Poetic text and stunning watercolors outline the history of how peoples from all over the globe arrived in what is now the United States of America. Peters likens migrants to seeds that are carried on the wind, taking root in the new soil, creating a "garden of Americans who turn to face the wind." The book begins with spreads featuring different groups of arrivals, chosen for their numbers, contributions, or impact. Native Americans, English settlers, enslaved Africans, Chinese railroad workers, and migrant field workers are among those featured, and each is accompanied by a few sentences that do not explicitly mention country names but cut to the core of their significance with pointed honesty. "The brutal leader" of a group of "colonists" depicted as conquistadors, for instance, is recorded as having "slaughtered the tribe that was living" where they settled. After the Statue of Liberty's famous welcoming poem appears in its entirety, more modern immigration is represented. These pages feature individuals here and now: a mother who works long cleaning shifts, a 13-year-old refugee who wears a head scarf, a boy who loves soccer. And finally, a city block exuberantly depicting residents of many skin tones under a celebratory sky of fireworks. The beautiful text celebrates America's difficult immigrant history with honesty and respect while simultaneously maintaining a feeling of pride and optimism in its present and future. Extremely informative notes round out this outstanding book. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.5-by-21-inch double-page spreads viewed at 53.1% of actual size.) Enlightening, visually gorgeous, and emotionally moving. (glossary, note, sources) (Informational picture book. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.