Description

With lush art by two-time NYT Best Illustrated recipient Violeta Lópiz, a picture book about a boy and his larger-than-life immigrant grandfather, who shares with him the kind of learning that s not taught in classrooms.★ A New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children s Book of 2023! ★ A NYPL Best Children s Book of 2023! ★ A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023! ★ A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2023! ★ A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book!At six years old, the child-narrator of this picture book loves nothing more than spending time with his grandpa, Luis–especially in his marvelous garden, where green beans reach as high as the sky. Luis s garden is where the little boy practices reading and writing. But just as importantly, it s also where he learns wonderful things from Luis, like the names of all the birds in the trees and new expressions that are so much fun to say. Luis s playful vocabulary is as vibrant and full of life as his garden, and phrases that are particular to his way of talking, like at the drop of a cat (which means right away), are soon adapted into the little boy s lexicon, too.A talented cook, artist, and gardener, Luis has much wisdom to impart and many experiences to share with his grandson–even though, as a war refugee, he never went to school himself and never learned to read and write. A loving testament to the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the breathtaking beauty of the natural world, illustrated with evocative, multilayered art by Violeta Lópiz.