  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/01/2021 From debut author and illustrator Zhang, this is the enchanting story about the power of words. Lala cannot be still, even on one of the hottest days in the city. Her frustrated mother has almost had enough of Lala’s wild nature. Only in Lala’s special garden, a patch of dirt with weeds, is she finally still and quiet, whispering kind words to encourage her green friends to grow—until her mother forbids her from visiting the garden. Zhang’s story demonstrates how talking to plants helps them grow, especially when a child with boundless energy showers them with kindness and compassion. Lala is a sympathetic character whose mother is always upset with her for playing in the dirt, but her mother makes up for it by accepting her special girl in the end. Zhang’s charming black-and-white hand-drawn illustrations pop with yellows and greens as the plants overtake the concrete jungle. The lack of color demonstrates to readers the importance of green space to an urban setting, a nod to the similarly themed classic City Green, by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan. - Copyright 2021 Booklist. Loading...
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