DISCOVER WITH JADE

In Lee’s debut picture book, a young Chinese girl helps her grandfather in his garden.

When springtime comes, Jade’s favorite place to be is with her Gung Gung (maternal grandfather) in his vegetable garden. On single pages and across two-page spreads of the book, Jade helps Gung Gung dig and plant and water. When summer comes, she delights in harvesting the produce—much of it Chinese—and telling readers about its nutritional properties (Jade’s inquisitive nature is beautifully emphasized when she imagines herself fighting oversized germs). She and Gung Gung grow so much food that they have lots to share with Jade’s racially diverse group of friends. Lee tells a simple story of intergenerational bonding and appreciation of nature. Jade’s exuberance is evident from the outset (“I squeal and race him to the backyard…I skip and hop across the yard to check on the seedlings every day”) and is ably conveyed through vibrant digital art by Do. The illustrations capture the variety of colors and exotic appeal of Gung Gung’s garden, offering enough detail to stimulate but not clutter and leaving plenty of blank space for the text. The astute use of color links—such as Jade’s boots matching the purple eggplants, or her and Gung Gung’s hats matching the pumpkins—help to draw readers through the story.

A sweet tale that will inspire many young readers to join their elders outdoors.