Tag Archives: Landscaping

Elem. – Papá’s Magical Water-jug Clock

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Trejo, Jesus. Papá’s Magical Water-jug Clock. Illustrated by Eliza Kinkz. Minerva, 2023.  978-1-662-65104-5. 44 p. $18.99. Grades K-3. 

It’s Saturday morning, and Jesús can’t wait to spend the day helping his father with their family landscaping and gardening business. Jesús loves mowing and trimming trees, but he’s most excited to spend the whole day with his Papá. As he fills Papá’s big, orange water jug, Papá explains that the jug is also a magical clock. It tells them how much work is left to do, and when the jug is empty, it’s time to go home. Papá puts Jesús in charge of the jug, and Jesús takes the responsibility very seriously. However, he also drinks liberal amounts of the water, splashes some on his face, and shares cup after cup with thirsty-looking cats, dogs, and peacocks. By the time Jesús and Papá reach the third job site, the jug is empty. Father and son take the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart conversation about the balance of work and play and the importance of completing an honest day’s work. Reader’s will be charmed by Jesús’s nonstop energy and heart, and they’ll relate to the big feelings he exhibits throughout the story. Vibrant mixed-media illustrations reflect the lighthearted tone of the words and perfectly balance the text. 

THOUGHTS: This title will be a charming addition to English and Spanish picture book collections. It realistically depicts the loving relationship between father and son while maintaining a lighthearted and mischievous vibe and celebrating a hard-working male role model. 

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Elem. – Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son

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Parra, John. Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. 978-1-5344-6927-3. $18.99. 40 p. Grades K-3.

Heading off to help his father at work, a young boy is excited and eager to learn about landscaping. He learns to mow lawns that look like baseball fields and to shape and trim bushes. He enjoys the satisfaction of working hard and creating something beautiful. Together the father and son visit a gardening center to purchase new plants and the dump that will recycle the yard waste collected throughout the day. The final stop of the work day is at a prospective client’s home. The new client wants to transform an overgrown yard. The young boy is an artist. Throughout the day he sketches in his notebook. When he sees the overgrown yard, he is inspired to create a landscape architecture blueprint. His father is thrilled and praises his son. The new client loves the plan, and father and son work together to create a beautiful new outdoor space. Landscaping is hard work. As the father admits, many people look down on landscapers as merely laborers and do not think of them as artists. As the boy is working, he sees a classmate and eagerly waves hello, but the classmate turns and pretends he never saw the boy. His father gently explains that working hard and loving what you do and having the opportunity to be creative in that process are worthy endeavors that can bring one a great sense of pride and self-worth.

THOUGHTS: This book is visually stunning. The story is sweet and gentle with a wonderful message. Hard work, perseverance, and loving what you do all are important and worthy. The author’s note explains this is the story of John Parra’s childhood. John Parra’s parents were migrant workers from Mexico. His father started his own landscaping business, and John helped him at work from the age of seven, performing landscaping tasks and eventually helping in the design and implementation of landscape architecture plans for clients. Encouraged by his hardworking family to develop his creative talents, John Parra grew up to become a renowned award-winning illustrator. This is the first book he has both authored and illustrated.

Picture Book          Anne McKernan, Council Rock SD