Set in contemporary Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in southwest China, Grandma’s Roof Garden tells a heartfelt story of Granny’s love for gardening and sharing food with her family and neighbors, while also highlighting the theme of sustainability. Granny tends to a rooftop garden atop her apartment building, where she lovingly nurtures a variety of vegetables. She collects discarded produce from the market to feed baby chicks, hens and geese or to create compost for her garden. Granny is energetic and powerful: “Swift and agile like a cat, / and tough and sturdy as an ox.” She digs, waters, and weeds all day in her garden and even builds a wooden fence. During harvest times, Granny shares fresh vegetables with her neighbors and cooks delicious dishes for her family, making them healthy, strong, and happy.

This picturebook is wonderful for reading aloud. Along with the earthy and soft colored pencil drawings, the lyrical poetic text that evokes Chinese folk nursery rhymes provide a vivid lived experience engaging readers in the story. For example, in the following text, Wei uses personification and metaphor to bring the vegetables to life and connect readers with the imaginative world:

Eggplants hide their face – they’re quite shy.

Chilies are hot-tempered and quarrel all the time.

Cucumbers do the tango while wearing golden crows.

Stem lettuce can twirl and swirl in their frilly gowns.

Granny’s home-cooked dishes, such as “garlic-fried bok-choy and lettuce”, “roasted peppers with skin perfectly charred like tiger stripes” and “eggplants glazed with sweet, tangy sauce”, are described using imagery and simile, enhancing the story’s playful atmosphere and reflecting the cultural richness of food.

Grandma’s Roof Garden is Tang Wei’s debut work. In an author’s note on the last page, she shares how her own childhood and beloved elderly relative inspired the creation of this book. Based in Sichuan province, she graduated from Sichuan Xihua University’s animation program and was a finalist in the 2021 Golden Pinwheel Illustration Awards at the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair.

Kelly Zhang is a first-generation Chinese immigrant, bilingual author, and literary translator based in Ottawa, Canada. Through her translation work, she strives to amplify the voices of young emerging writers and women creatives from mainland China. Kelly also highlights stories that embrace her cultural heritage and lived experiences, inviting readers to explore diverse perspectives and experiences. Connect with Kelly on X or visit her website. –Recommended by Junko Sakoi, Tucson Unified School District

Title: Grandma’s Roof Garden
Author/Illustrator: Tang Wei
Translator: Kelly Zhang
ISBN: 9781646147014
PubDate: January 16, 2024
Publisher: Levine Querido

Each month a committee of Worlds of Words advisors recommends a book published within the last year. Our hope is to spark conversations on our website and on social media about the book that expand global understandings and perceptions. Please join us by leaving a comment. You can also share your thoughts with us by using the hashtag #WOWRecommends on social media.

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• Themes: Grandma's Roof Garden, Junko Sakoi, Kelly Zhang, Tang Wei
• Descriptors: WOW Recommends