All That Grows

All That Grows is a quiet story about a boy who learns about gardening in the city from his older sister. The two children tend her garden and walk around the neighborhood observing the environment. The boy is amazed by the amount of knowledge his older sister has about plants. When mysterious white flowers appear in a garden bed, the girl suggests they look it up in a book, but the boy decides to wait and nurture the plants that have appeared.

All That Grows is a wonderful book for discussions with children about the natural world around them, even in an urban or suburban setting. There are mentions of invasive species, foraging, and musings about what is a vegetable, a flower, or a weed. This can all spark conversations about human impact on the environment and encourage the child reader to look closely at the potentially overlooked environments. It also ties in well with discussions on place-based learning.

The beautiful play of light and dark in the pastels illustrations work well to convey the feeling of a sunny spring day in the garden. There is a strong sense of the warmth and light of the setting, as plants grow and flowers bloom in the illustrations. The characters appear to be of East Asian descent.

Wong’s previous two picture books have won several prestigious awards. Wong’s first book, When You Can Swim, won the 2023 Governor General’s Literary Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book award. His second book, The Words We Share is currently a 2024 Forest of Reading- Blue Spruce Award nominee.

All That Grows is a gentle story that encourages readers to engage with their own surroundings and discover the place they inhabit.