"When an abandoned house on her street is torn down, Marcy feels saddened by its loss. But then an idea strikes her: She enlists the aid of several grown-up neighbors and rents the vacant lot from the city for the price of $1. Working together with materials like leftover yellow paint and surplus wood, the residents create a community garden and plant it with a variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Even Old Man Hammer, initially resistant to the plan and unwilling to help in any way, is drawn in by Marcy's goodwill and gentle perseverance. The illustrations, if not mesmerizing, capture the slightly gritty, faded look of the urban landscape adequately. The story is followed by a set of practical and helpful guidelines on how to start a community garden, which may inspire young green thumbs and civic-minded kids to get involved. An optimistic tale that manages to be both encouraging yet realistic about how to do some good in your very own backyard. (Picture book. 5+)" www..kirkusreviews.com

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This book is about a little girl who comes up with a great idea for a vacant lot in her neighbor. This book follows this girls story and the how the community comes together for this great project.

Age: 5+
Source:The book was used for strategy instruction: Visualizing for Adv Lang and Literacy Methods Class at Pierce College

After the city demolishes a building on her block, one girl sets into motion a plan to turn the block into a community garden. It is book of warm images of gardens and community.
Ages: 4-8
Source: Amazon ( )

Saddened by the empty lot on her block, where a building used to stand before it was condemned and destroyed, young Marcy and her elderly neighbor Miss Rosa begin a community garden there, eventually involving everyone in the neighborhood in the project. After renting the land from the city, the would-be gardeners begin the clean-up, finding that people stop to help, and bring supplies as well. Even grouchy Old Man Hammer, who initially holds out and refuses to have any part in the new garden, eventually plants some seeds.

A wonderful exploration of the idea of communal city gardens, and reclaiming vacant lots as urban green spaces, City Green reminded me a bit of Peter Brown's The Curious Garden, which also features the theme of making cities greener. I enjoyed DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's narrative here, I appreciated the fact that the reader is led to have greater empathy for the initially unlikable Old Man Hammer, over the course of the story, and I found the color artwork appealing. As an added bonus, the author/artist includes an afterword in which she offers some advice to young readers who might want to start a community garden in their own neighborhood. Recommended to anyone looking for hopeful stories about improving urban spaces, or about diverse communities working together. ( )