Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever

December 1, 2020
Two friends strengthen their bond when their gardening project needs more ingenuity than originally anticipated. Maxine, a science-oriented little White girl with a pet goldfish, loves to read and make constructive gadgets. Her friend Leo, a little Black boy, also likes making things, though from an artistic perspective. Together they decide to carefully design a garden. Maxine creates a practical blueprint while Leo draws a colorful diagram. Both plans allow them to plot, dig, and plant a beautiful and expansive space that includes a pond for Milton, Maxine's pet fish. After their produce begins to sprout, however, some unwanted visitors slink in to ravage the fruits of all their hard work. Oh, no--now they need a new idea to keep those critters away. An average scarecrow doesn't do the trick, so the kids get to work and build a "critter-creeping, laser-tripping, disco-ball-blinking, tuba-tooting... / SUPER SPECTACULAR SCARECROW!" But it only makes things worse by loudly disturbing everyone but their animal invaders. Initial disappointment and failure lead to blame and argument and then remorse and apologies. Both Maxine and Leo realize that "it takes a long time to grow a garden...but even longer to grow a friend." Hatam offers kids lots of minutiae to look at, including clever endpapers with comical one-liners ("Thyme to Turnip the Beet"). Her detailed, animated, vibrant drawings accentuate the drama and neatly depict the concluding message that celebrates compromise. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 62.7% of actual size.) Kids will enjoy the quirky visuals while appreciating the creative relationship of these two companions. (Picture book. 5-7)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 2-Maxine, who is white, and her fish Milton are close; he is often the inspiration to her maker creations. "If I can dream it, I can build it," she always says. Maxine also has a close friend in a boy, Leo, but the two think differently, for he is an artist. The digital illustrations show small detailed and colorful vignettes of Maxine, her family, and friends in full invention mode-Maxine's braided pigtails and color-streaked bangs surround a face requiring only minimal ink to show her clearly joyous in the effort. Leo's dark skin and curly hair frame eyes that delight in his projects. Each has a strong personal view and a bit of attitude as they express themselves through their approaches. There are setbacks: Leo's design is artistically pretty, while Maxine's is blueprint-detailed and practical. There are pests invading the garden, and the two fight, but they quickly learn that for "it takes a long time to grow a garden, but even longer to grow a friend." In the end, they have decided to work with nature, rather than against it, by feeding the animals themselves. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for libraries and classroom, this title allows young readers to view changing relationships through strong-willed characters who learn how to work together.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.