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Review: Joy Takes Root

Written by Gwendolyn Wallace
Illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin
New York: Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC, 2023. Picture Book.

Joy is visiting her grandparents' house in South Carolina and although she goes there every summer, this year she is gardening with Grammy for the first time. As they go through the garden, her grandma starts teaching her some important lessons, number one being that she should treat the garden like family. Then she teaches Joy how the herbs in her garden can be used in different ways. As Joy is about to plant her first seeds, her Grammy encourages her to take a deep breath and remember her ancestors that planted in the same soil. Watering the seeds can also help her remember things too. Once Joy and Grammy are done with their work, they can sit in the garden and give thanks. Grammy gives Joy some seeds to take home and she hopes that she can put all that her grandma has taught her into practice. 

This is a great picture book to share with your children if you are starting a garden or even just wanting to encourage them to be mindful and appreciative of the process. This book shows that every step of gardening can be purposeful and mindful if we just take a second to think about what we are doing and why. It is also a very touching story to remind of us of our connection to our ancestors and the things that our grandparents teach us. I highly recommend reading this book and sharing it with garden-loving grandmas.


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