MG – Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World

Singh, Rina. Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World. Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi. Greystone Kids, 2023. 978-1-771-64713-7. Unpaged. $18.95. Grades 3-6.

Thoughtful, detailed illustrations of paper overlays accompany author Rina Singh’s verses extolling the ingenuity, compassion, and hopefulness of seven global figures who are lights burning in dark times. In an afterword, she names each one and explains in prose how their acts of selflessness helped less fortunate people; but in the body of the book, Singh weaves a verse tale about their actions and Hadadi describes it in her art. The Palestinian mother who uses grenades to hold flowers in memory of her son; the Brazilian dancer who had to forgo a promising career but opened a free ballet school; the would-be engineer who turned his talents toward teaching children in India; the South African man who shared his love of soccer with poor boys in his township; the Canadian Anishinaabe water activist advocating for clean water for indigenous peoples; the Mexican artist who melts down and transforms guns into beautiful art; the Greek restaurant owner who opened her doors to hungry Syrian refugees.This book would be difficult for younger students to read independently. It requires an awareness of suffering and a broad worldview. The relative obscurity of the book’s heroes paves the way for readers to look for their own hidden heroes. Students can extend the book through biographical searches, ideas for service learning projects, interpretation of facts into verse, or depiction of scenes of people doing good works in the paper medium. Teachers can use this book in lessons highlighting peace and social justice.

THOUGHTS: This book is beautiful to behold; the illustrations tell a story on their own. The true stories of the featured people following the verses may need to be read first for young readers to comprehend the verse’s meaning. Creative teachers can link current events to these varied geographical, contemporary settings. A specialized addition to a school library collection. 

302 Social Communities

MG – Full Speed Ahead! America’s First Admiral: David Glasgow Farragut

Borden, Louise. Full Speed Ahead! America’s First Admiral: David Glasgow Farragut. Calkins Creek, 2021. 978-1-684-37905-7. 224 p. $18.99. Grades 5-9.

“Full speed ahead!”…it’s probably a phrase that most of us have heard before. Yet many may not know that this phrase became part of American popular culture after it was spoken in a Civil War naval battle by Union Rear Admiral David Farragut. Author Louise Borden chronicles Farragut’s life and career in her biography in verse Full Speed Ahead! Farragut first joined the navy as a midshipman at age nine. He steadily rose through the ranks and distinguished himself on missions around the world, including in the War of 1812, in the Caribbean, around Cape Horn, and in the Atlantic. When the Civil War broke out, Farragut devoted himself to the Union cause. He led the naval fleets that captured the Confederate strongholds of New Orleans and Mobile Bay. After the war, he was promoted once more and became the first ever Admiral in U.S. Naval history. The text is supplemented by numerous photographs, paintings, drawings, letters, and maps. 

THOUGHTS: A biography told in verse of a 19th century naval hero might not be the first choice of those browsing the library shelves, so some booktalking may be required for this title. But history buffs who take a chance on the title will be rewarded with an engaging life story of an American hero. An additional purchase for libraries with history fans. 

921 Biography          Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD