Jacqueline Briggs Martin's many children's books include Snowflake Bentley, winner of the Caldecott Medal, and Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, a School Library Journal "starred" review book. She grew up on a farm in Maine and now lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
Eric-Shabazz Larkin made his illustration debut with Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table in 2013 and his author-illustrator debut with A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words About Food in 2014. Both were named ALA Notable Books. He lives in New York City.
Will Allen is a farmer and founder and CEO of Growing Power in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is recognized as a preeminent practitioner of urban agriculture in America and throughout the world. A former basketball star, he was named a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow in 2008 and Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2010.
* 2014 Notable Children's Book, American Library Association
* CCBC Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center
* "Best Books 2013 Nonfiction," School Library Journal
* "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2013," New York Public
Library
* "Top 10 Sustainability Title 2013," Booklist
* "Top 10 Crafts & Gardening Title for Youth," Booklist
* "15 Books For Future Foodies," Food Tank: The Food Think Tank
* Finalist, Beverly Clearly Children's Choice Award 2015-2016,
Oregon Association of School Libraries
* Finalist, Star Of The North Book Award 2015-2016, Minnesota Youth
Reading Awards
* Finalist, Louisiana Young Readers' Choice 2016, Louisiana Center
for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana "The idea of farming
as a community builder...comes across clearly in the book."
-- "Starred" review, Booklist "This engaging introduction to the
work of Will Allen and his organization, Growing Power, should
stimulate interest in gardening in schools, homes, and
communities... Larkin's energetic illustrations reflect both hard
work outdoors and the delicious results on a table loaded with good
food."
-- "Starred" review, School Library Journal "A timely topic for
eco-minded youngsters and future agriculturalists."
--"Best Books 2013 Nonfiction," School Library Journal "Will Allen
can see / what others can't see. / When he sees kids, he sees
farmers." Martin begins and ends with this positive premise. In
between, she sketches salient events that stoked Allen's commitment
to empowering people to grow their own food. Raised in a
food-loving family that grew and shared its own, Will eschewed
weeding and picking for college and a move to Belgium to play pro
basketball, where he continued gardening on the side. He brought an
acumen for growing veggies home to Milwaukee and saw that "fresh
vegetables / were as scarce in the city / as trout in the desert."
Will bought a polluted city lot and created compost from food
waste, aided by red wiggler worms. He taught kids and teens to farm
and traveled the world with his message. Martin's verse text, laced
with word bursts in ebullient display type, engages both readers
and listeners. In his picture-book debut, Larkin provides
mixed-media cityscapes that, eventually, brim with the fruits of
Allen's labor and match Will's exuberance and spirit of community.
This worthy collaboration reveals how one man's vision of food for
all has inspired an amazing life of service."
--Kirkus, "Featured Kids' Book Review" "This lively introduction to
Will Allen's groundbreaking work (for which he's received a
MacArthur Foundation "Genius" grant) features a buoyant narrative
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin set against Eric-Shabazz Larkin's
energetic illustrations. It's impossible not to be inspired by
their account of the creativity of Will's venture and the hope
inherent in its success."
--Cooperative Children's Book Center, "Recommended Book of the
Week" "The book is a beautiful tribute not just to its hero Will
Allen but also to the right of every child to have access to good,
healthy, cheap food. The ultimate picture book about muncha muncha
muncha...While we talk about the rise in obesity levels in the
United States, it just makes sense to talk about how economics
affect access to healthy alternatives. And part of what makes
Farmer Will Allen such a good story is that it draws that
connection without getting anywhere near a soapbox...Fun and
informative by turns, raise a carrot or cabbage in honor of this
awesome dude and his equally awesome tale."
--Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal's "Fuse #8 Production"
Blog "Rating: Outstanding. Will Allen deserves this compelling
biography so aptly rendered by author Jacqueline Briggs Martin and
illustrator Eric-Shabazz Larkin's ink and pen artistry...The use of
questions (e.g., "But how could Will farm in the middle of pavement
and parking lots?") and of large colorful fonts to emphasize key
phrases (e.g., Fish. Water. Sprouts. Farm Machine) provide a
conversational tone that is further brought to life by thoughtful
and vibrant illustrations of multicultural communities and the
nutritious foods they are growing. An afterword from Allen about
good food and good farming, an author's note about the power of one
person to affect so much change, and a current, concise list of
resources finish off this inspiring story. Readers to Eaters Books
has another winning title on their hands.
--Bayviews, Association of Children's Librarians of Northern
California "An inspiring non-fiction picturebook...The text is
formatted as an engaging narrative punctuated by questions, dialog,
and information. The illustrations add enthusiastic color mixed in
bold patches and active linework to create lovely textured
backgrounds that subtly become more saturated over the course of
the story. The characters stand out as almost flat with
cartoon-like simplicity that allows them to shift dynamically from
page to page, creating an almost universal field of helping hands.
Concluding with the motivational question, "How big will YOUR table
be?"
--Reading Today, International Reading Association "The text is
clear, concise, informative and lively. The illustrations expand
upon the text and just naturally seem to draw in the reader... It
is ideal for the emerging reader, the older reluctant reader, and
also for a middle school or high school classroom or community
group discussion of urban farming, community cooperation, and role
models...Both text and illustrations encourage discussion. Every
time I open this book, I see and read more and more."
--CLCD, Children's Literature Comprehensive Database "Farmer Will
Allen and the Growing Table beautifully captures his ambitious
belief in growing the next generation of alternative farmers, good
eaters, and community self-reliance. This book is an ideal
companion for school garden educators and for parents wanting to
make gardening relevant to kids. I'd also recommend it for social
change activists since the book makes complex social enterprise
ideas into practical, tactile steps."
--Richard McCarthy, Executive Director, Slow Food USA "Farmer Will
Allen and the Growing Table is an inspirational story that
highlights the importance of healthy, homegrown food and the
importance of civic engagement. Will Allen's story serves as an
educational tool for children to recognize how important it is to
be able to access healthy food and revitalize urban spaces. Will is
a champion for this message, and is a living example of how one
person can change a city."
--Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee
"[Will had] seen that fresh vegetables were as scarce in the city
as trout in the desert. Will believed everyone, everywhere, had a
right to good food. But how could Will farm in the middle of
pavement and parking lots?"
-- from the book
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