Jolie, who looks to be about 9 or 10, desperately wants to plant and grow strawberries and documents her efforts to get her parents to agree in a serious of humorous journal entries. Her dad has dark skin and her mom, comfortably plump, is light-skinned. Jolie's dark hair is in two tidy pigtails and she sports glasses that pop against her own brown skin.
Although she already has a pet rabbit, her parents say she's too young to grow strawberries. This... frankly makes no sense. But ok, we'll go with it. Jolie demonstrates her responsibility by taking care of her rabbit, Munchy, and then growing a cup of grass. At a visit to the garden store, she tries again for strawberry plants but her mom says she doesn't have enough money - so Jolie runs a lemonade stand. She makes money but not enough for even one plant - and her parents are reluctant to give her a space to plant them.
Finally, finally she convinces her parents and they agree to plant a strawberry plot that she will be responsible for. Jolie is delighted to get her strawberry patch started and she learns all about protecting it from birds, beneficial bugs, and keeping it watered. A month after her April planting, the strawberries begin to appear and soon she has more berries than she knows what to do with and runs a pick-your-own strawberries stand. By the end of June, the strawberry patch is finally slowing down and she's willing to let the birds finish off the berries. After all, Jo has a new idea - planting blueberries!
Back matter explains that Jolie's immediate harvest is not realistic - most strawberries don't bear until the second year and even then are unlikely to produce the massive amounts shown in Jolie's 12 plants. It also explains integrated pest management and pick-your-own farms.
Feeding Minds Press is supposed to produce "accurate and engaging books about agriculture," so it doesn't really make sense that you'd have parents so reluctant to let a child plant a few plants, especially when she already has a pet and they garden anyways, and Jolie's explosion of strawberries is completely unrealistic, as explained in the back matter of the book. However, this is pretty typical of gardening picture books that rarely show gardeners encountering pests, plant diseases, etc. (Did you know if you get too much rain your strawberries will taste watery? That's just one problem I've run into.)
The humorous aspects of Jolie trying to prove she's old and responsible enough for strawberry plants are amusing and the real attraction of this story is the charming illustrations. Luscious red berries, the mischievous Munchy, and Jolie's boundless enthusiasm splash across the pages. Sinquett has also done a great job of drawing Jo's hilarious journal entries, with silly illustrations and making her personality shine through.
Verdict: Although this is certainly not accurate, it's definitely engaging. Pair with more accurate gardening books for young readers interested in exploring gardening or with a library gardening project. This is near and dear to my heart, as I grow strawberries myself and hope to add them to our library garden this year! Not a required purchase, but a fun one where gardening is popular.
ISBN: 9781948898065; Published 2022 by Feeding Minds Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library
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