Sylvia's Spinach

As the story begins, narrator Nancy Wu catches listeners' attention with her emphatic, "No spinach!" Clearly, young Sylvia does not care for spinach dishes. And wouldn't you know it--when her class gets a classroom garden project underway, Sylvia is the one in charge of the spinach. She grudgingly follows directions but grows despondent as everyone else's seeds sprout. Will she ever come to care about her spinach? Wu narrates at a leisurely pace and lets the excitement of the unfolding garden developments carry the story. As Sylvia, Wu delivers an authentically childlike tone. Listeners will delight in the enthusiasm of the conclusion. Gentle music and tips for gardening complete the production. A.R. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

November 26, 2012
When Sylvia winds up with spinach seeds to plant for her class’s garden, she’s not pleased: she hates the green stuff. After failed attempts to trade seeds with her classmates, she reluctantly plants hers in a pot. Her seeds take their time to show any green: “The peas were the first to sprout, shooting up out of the dirt like tiny beanstalks. Sylvia’s dirt still looked like dirt.” Once her spinach finally grows, and the students transfer their potted plants into the garden, Sylvia develops a sense of ownership over her spinach and, eventually, a taste for it: “ ‘I tried it, Mom!’ Sylvia said. ‘It’s good!” Pryor’s lesson about healthy eating and trying new things is delivered with a light touch thanks to Raff’s airy ink washes. Ages 4–8.