School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-"You can grow your own farm anywhere" is the empowering message of this inclusive picture book. All you need are soil, sun, water, and a seed. You can plant a farm in an empty lot, a pot, a box, or even a shoe. You can share your seeds with others to spread the food and fun. With cheerful rhyming text and illustrations depicting a diverse group of young farmers, including wheelchair users, this book is sure to find a place in group storytimes as well as in the laps of parents. The text is educational without being dry. Children will get a brief introduction to plants-what a seed needs to grow, what kinds of plants grow from seeds, and what kinds of creatures, such as butterflies and bees, visit them. The text addresses the five W's-who, what, when, where, and why-in a jaunty manner. The mixed-media illustrations include a satisfying amount of detail while retaining a child-friendly sketchiness. The neighborhood scenes add to the sense of community-building reinforced here. VERDICT This must-have picture book will be especially beneficial for school units on plants and seeds and for library storytimes with a spring or gardening theme.-Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Even children who live in dense urban environments can become small-scale farmers; all they need, Root (One North Star) explains, is "soil and sunshine,/ some water, a seed." A neglected alley is the setting several children choose to start their planting efforts, and Root's upbeat verse offers playful guidance to readers, using questions ("Where can you plant your anywhere farm?") and rhyming responses ("An old empty lot/ makes a good growing plot./ But a pan or a bucket,/ a pot or a shoe,/ a bin or a tin/ or a window will do." Karas's (A Hat for Mrs. Goldman) smudgy mixed-media art warmly shows a community coming together as citizens young and old join in, building to the unveiling of a neighborhood garden/market. It's a cheery celebration of community and the hands-on joys of gardening. Ages 2-5. Illustrator's agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Root's upbeat rhyming text details all the places to grow things. Then it suggests what one might plant and who might come to visit one's "anywhere farm." Karas's mixed-media illustrations first focus on one little girl with a single plant but eventually include a whole diverse neighborhood transforming a barren urban space into a lush, flourishing garden. Inspiring and empowering; friendly and inviting. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
This picture book beautifully blends effortless rhyming text with soft-hued mixed-media illustrations to encourage young gardeners to start growing something anywhere. Questions are built into the narrative and guide very young audiences through various steps: Where can you plant your anywhere farm? What can you plant? Who might come to visit? What do you need? Readers are informed that all they need is some dirt, sunshine, water, one farmer, and one tiny seed to begin. Empty lots are suggested as potential gardens, but so are an imaginative array of more manageable sites: crates on porches, windowsill boxes, pots, cups, old boots, and so on. Visitors include bugs and butterflies, along with other possible anywhere farmers. Both text and illustrations address an urban setting, featuring a satisfying mix of neighbors of various ages and ethnicities. The ending suggests that all it takes is one farmer and one anywhere farm to encourage other gardeners which just might result in a community everywhere farm. A great read-aloud for aspiring gardeners and farmers.--McBroom, Kathleen Copyright 2017 Booklist
