All That Grows
A story of a boy who discovers that the more he learns, the more there is to know!
On their neighborhood walks together, a boy learns from his older sister all about the plants they see — magnolias that smell like lemon cake, creeping weeds that used to be planted for decoration, and even how dandelion greens can be eaten with spaghetti! But what makes a plant a flower, vegetable or weed, anyway? How can his sister tell, and how does she know so much?
The boy’s head spins as he realizes how vast the universe is and how much there is to learn … until he resolves to let his knowledge grow in its own way and time, just like the mysterious plants he has decided to nurture in the garden.
Award-winning creator Jack Wong brings us a delightful, nuanced story about cultivating patience and letting knowledge grow.
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Released March 5, 2024 from Groundwood Books
Praise for All That Grows:
★ "Dreamy, earth-toned pastel drawings and quiet, spare text are used to great effect in this lovely book about a boy’s curiosity and wonder about the natural world. [...] A thought-provoking book about the joys of the natural world, with a sprinkling of kid-friendly philosophy." — Starred review from School Librarry Journal
★ "[T]he writing feels like a photographer’s macro lens, homing in on the tiny universes unfurling inside something bigger. Wong’s illustrations parallel this idea as they zoom in and out of the book’s verdant, sun-dappled setting.... In some near-intangible way, Wong has evoked the soft haze of childhood summers where a small stand of trees might be seen as a huge forest, and a field of dandelions offers magical, unfettered possibility." — Starred review from BookPage
★ “The hopeful ending provides quiet reassurance to curious beginners daunted by the unknown. Wong’s impressive command of color, light, and shadow in his textured pastel illustrations makes each scene thrum with life. Readers can almost feel the sunlight on their skin and hear the busy sounds of a fertile springtime garden. The protagonist’s thoughtful musings are bound to spark further curiosity in readers as they examine their own observations and ideas about the natural world.” — Starred review from Kirkus Reviews
★ "The reader learns along with the boy about the interconnectedness of nature.... Even though his questions seem endless, knowledge, like plants, grows over time, if nurtured." — Starred review from Quill & Quire
“[T]he narrator’s questioning curiosity, and the discovery they make while trusting their own intuition, provides quiet satisfaction.” — Publishers Weekly
