Grow: A Novel in Verse
by Juanita Havill

    GROW by Juanita Havill
    Illustrated by:  Stanislawa Kodman
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  4/1/08
    Publisher:  Peachtree
    Reviewed by:  Julie M. Prince
    Rating:  5 Stars


    GROW is one of those books that goes down easy. It just has all those elements that makes the reader immediately
    relax and enjoy the unfolding story. Beginning with great voice and characterization right on the first page, the prose
    in verse flows right through this entire book so that it's swallowed in one smooth gulp.

    Kate may be the narrator of this tale, but Berneetha is the glue that holds everything together. When Berneetha the
    cat lady decides to grow a garden in the middle of nothing, twelve-year-old Kate is reluctant to help. Everyone is
    sure to think the two of them are crazy. Except, soon it's not just the two of them. As people join the crusade to
    clean up the empty lot, more than just a garden is grown from nothing.

    "A weed is anything growing
    Where you don't want it to grow.
    I don't know
    where Harlan lives,
    only that he looks hungry most days
    and he doesn't want
    to go home in the evening.
    I don't think I'll tell him
    about that garden-book
    theory of weeds."

    This emotional story is shown in brilliant illustrations by Stanislawa Kodman, whose name will stick in my mind
    because I cannot forget the person who created these drawings. The simple, everyday items that are twisted into
    beauty. Junk into treasure. The theme of the book perfectly drawn out by both author and illustrator. What a team.

    And not to be overlooked is the quality of the book itself. A silky smooth dust jacket, featuring brilliantly composed
    illustrations by Kodman. Large, light print on the inside that makes an already easy-to-read book even easier on the
    eye.

    The only thing missing from this book is an award sticker.