Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larsen

Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larsen

Vincent is staying with his aunt Mimi for the summer while his mom recuperates from surgery. Mimi's drab city neighborhood, complete with an empty dirt lot across the street, doesn't seem too promising. But then Vincent meets Toma, a boy who lives nearby, and things start looking up. Mimi has a mysterious box of "dirt balls" in her apartment. When she asks Vincent to get rid of them, the fun Vincent and Toma have throwing them into the lot becomes the start of a budding friendship. Then one day, they notice new shoots sprouting all over the lot. Maybe those balls weren't just made of dirt after all!

Bestselling author Andrew Larsen brings a light touch and gentle humor to this picture book story about several kinds of growth -- of the boys and their friendship, the flowers in the newly thriving lot, and the community that comes together around it. Award-winning artist Anne Villeneuve's illustrations add a visual layer to the storytelling as they show the transformation from mostly gray to vibrant color, both literally, in the blossoming garden, and figuratively, in the now engaged neighborhood. This book highlights the value of connecting to nature, even in urban areas, and the sense of community that comes from civic engagement. It's an excellent choice for character education lessons on kindness, generosity and citizenship.

Andrew Larsen is the author of The Imaginary Garden and Bella and the Bunny. He is a stay-at-home father who finds time to write between laundry and lunch. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Irene Luxbacher is an artist and the author-illustrator of The Jumbo Book of Art, The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art, the Starting Art series and Mattoo, Let's Play! She also illustrated The Imaginary Garden for Kids Can Press. She lives in Toronto.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781771389174
ISBN 10	1771389176
Title	Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden
Author	Andrew Larsen
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Kids Can Press
Year published	2019-08-01
Number of pages	32
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.