My Baba's Garden

Starred review from January 30, 2023
In this picture book by the creators of I Talk Like a River, first-person lines from a child speaker describe a grandmother who “lives in a chicken coop beside a highway,” where the child is dropped off every morning before school. Scott’s gentle narration reveals that “my Baba didn’t have very much food for/ a long, long time.” Now, the woman grows and saves it in the small residence, “jars of pickles in the bathroom, garlic hanging in the shower, beets on the shoe rack.” The two don’t have many words in common, but Baba serves the protagonist oatmeal each morning—and after a spill, picks it up, “kisses the oatmeal, puts it back into my bowl, and gently squeezes my cheeks.” During rainy-day walks, Baba displays another form of self-reliance, kneeling to collect worms for her garden, and helping to nourish the soil that will in turn provide sustenance. When Baba grows older and moves to the young grandchild’s house, it’s a reversal that sees the narrator bringing her oatmeal, planting seeds in her room... and heading out into the rain for worms. Smith captures the duo’s close bond in intimate, inky portraits that linger on their tan hands and faces as well as on images of precious food carefully grown and stored. Together, Scott and Smith create a portrait of a love which needs few words. An author’s preface offers a remembrance of Scott’s Polish Baba. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from March 1, 2023

K-Gr 4-From the brilliant pair that created I Talk Like a River comes a beautiful tale of family and the love shared between a child and grandparent. A young boy is lucky enough to spend time with Baba, his Polish grandmother, every day before and after school. While they do not share much in the way of a spoken language, they have an understanding and bond that goes much deeper. Baba has taught the young child to appreciate food, gardens, and the unique gift of worms. Knowing that Baba suffered much in Poland before coming to British Columbia, her grandson absorbs her lessons, and when she comes to live in his house, he carries on her wisdom when roles are reversed. Gorgeous illustrations brim with emotional use of dappled light and color; wordless passages evoke the emotional ties and trust between these two characters. This is outstanding storytelling in a marvelous picture book that deserves a place in all collections. VERDICT This intergenerational story will provide young people with an opportunity to share those special bonds they have with an older person and hopefully encourage them to reflect on the simple acts that connect one generation to the next.-John Scott

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2023
This tale based on Scott's boyhood experiences with his Polish grandmother traces the daily routines of a child and their beloved Baba. In her first appearance, Baba is bathed in the sunlight streaming through her kitchen window, a bent Madonna in a sweater and slippers. She brings the young narrator a large bowl of oatmeal with pickles, cabbage, and beets before they walk to school, a jar at the ready to collect worms for Baba's garden. Later, the child wonders why she does this, and Baba dips her finger into rainwater and traces the lines on the youngster's hand. Author and illustrator allow readers to discern how communication occurs in the absence of a common spoken language--and what it means. The protagonist's mother offers context when she relays that the garden and the presence of food in every nook and cranny result from earlier scarcity. Scott's poetic sensibilities distill the days into meaningful moments and images, sometimes captured in similes: The woman "hums like a night full of bugs." Smith's warm gouache-and-watercolor scenes are filled with gentle gestures and connection. Later, when Baba moves in with the family, a wordless sequence--in which her grandchild brings her breakfast--is a beautifully crafted callback to the poignant ritual seen earlier in the story. Characters are tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A quiet, tender, and profoundly moving celebration of intergenerational love. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from March 15, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 *Starred Review* The creators of I Talk like a River (2020) here pay homage to Scott's grandmother and her pivotal role in his childhood. Every day, Dad drives Jordan to Baba's house: a converted chicken coop next to a sulfur mill, beside a highway. Baba feeds him breakfast (oatmeal with butter and vegetables from her garden) and then walks him to and from school; on rainy days, they collect worms to add to Baba's garden. She doesn't speak much English, but the two communicate through gestures, food, and the loving bond they share. Smith's evocative watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are rendered in a primitive style, reminiscent of paintings a young child might create. He uses grays, greens, and blues predominantly, effectively representing the rainy climate of British Columbia's southwest coast, where the story is set. Facial features are often abbreviated or lacking, and most edges are blurred, suggesting that memory is not always 20/20. The details of Baba's house (garden produce in every nook and cranny, photos from the old country, sunlight streaming through her kitchen window) and garden encourage extended viewing, as will tender, quiet moments between the two characters. When Baba's home is razed, she moves to Jordan's house. Much changes (no garden, no daily walks) but the grandparent-child bond remains strong. Share this heartfelt testament to family widely.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from March 1, 2023
This tender story from the author-artist team behind I Talk like a River (rev. 11/20) pays tribute to Scott's Polish grandmother, whom he visited daily as a child. An opening note explains that she "suffered greatly" during World War II and, afterward, lived in a renovated chicken-coop in a Canadian coastal town. Baba, who "didn't have very much food for a long, long time," stockpiles items from her garden and closely watches her grandson eat lest he waste a bite. On the rainy walk to school, Baba looks for worms, collecting them in a jar, so that she can add them to the soil in her own garden. Her communication is limited to gesturing and, by tracing lines on the boy's hand, she conveys the worms' tremendous worth to the soil. Later, Baba moves in with the boy and his parents. In two moving, gently paced, wordless spreads, the boy brings Baba, lying in bed, a simple breakfast, and silently they eat together -- before he heads out to find worms for some of Baba's cherry tomato seeds he has planted in a pot. Smith's observational prowess is a perfect match for this story of quiet, contemplative moments of profound meaning, his nuanced and expressive watercolors capturing years of struggle and sorrow on Baba's face -- but also the abundant love she feels for her grandson, who still now picks up worms in her honor. Julie Danielson

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2023
This tender story from the author-artist team behind I Talk like a River (rev. 11/20) pays tribute to Scott's Polish grandmother, whom he visited daily as a child. An opening note explains that she "suffered greatly" during World War II and, afterward, lived in a renovated chicken-coop in a Canadian coastal town. Baba, who "didn't have very much food for a long, long time," stockpiles items from her garden and closely watches her grandson eat lest he waste a bite. On the rainy walk to school, Baba looks for worms, collecting them in a jar, so that she can add them to the soil in her own garden. Her communication is limited to gesturing and, by tracing lines on the boy's hand, she conveys the worms' tremendous worth to the soil. Later, Baba moves in with the boy and his parents. In two moving, gently paced, wordless spreads, the boy brings Baba, lying in bed, a simple breakfast, and silently they eat together -- before he heads out to find worms for some of Baba's cherry tomato seeds he has planted in a pot. Smith's observational prowess is a perfect match for this story of quiet, contemplative moments of profound meaning, his nuanced and expressive watercolors capturing years of struggle and sorrow on Baba's face -- but also the abundant love she feels for her grandson, who still now picks up worms in her honor.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)