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Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood Kindle Edition

by Tony Hillery (Author), Jessie Hartland (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 250 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction for Kids
See all formats and editions
As featured on Humans of New York

“Hartland’s joyful folk-art illustrations bop from the gray-toned jazzy vibrancy of a bustling city neighborhood to the colorful harvest of a lush urban farm.” —The New York Times
“An inspiring picture book for youngsters with meaningful ties to the environment, sustainability, and community engagement.” —Booklist

​Discover the incredible true story of Harlem Grown, a lush garden in New York City that grew out of an abandoned lot and now feeds a neighborhood.

Once
In a big city called New York
In a bustling neighborhood
There was an empty lot.
Nevaeh called it the haunted garden.

Harlem Grown tells the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration.

Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families. The incredible story is vividly brought to life with Jessie Hartland’s “charmingly busy art” (Booklist) that readers will pore over in search of new details as they revisit this poignant and uplifting tale over and over again.

Harlem Grown is an independent, not-for-profit organization. The author’s share of the proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to Harlem Grown.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD540L
  6. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
  7. Publication date
    August 18, 2020
  8. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  11. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  12. ISBN-13
    978-1534402317
  13. See all details
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From the Publisher

Harlem Grown

Harlem Grown

Harlem Grown

Harlem Grown

Harlem Grown

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hillery, the founder of Harlem Grown, narrates how an urban farm grew from an abandoned lot across the street from Harlem’s PS 175: “Nevaeh called it the haunted garden. It was cluttered with wrecked couches, old TVs, broken bottles, and empty cans.” When “Mr. Tony” visits the school and sees “those kids and that haunted garden,” he gets an idea. Working together, Mr. Tony and the kids clear the lot, bring in clean dirt, and plant. When plants wilt, he says, “We’ll plant something different” and builds raised beds until, finally, “tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries, strawberries, collard greens, kale, basil, arugula” grow, and the children share their harvest with their families. Hartland’s gouache illustrations wobble endearingly, colorfully capturing the children’s triumph, and the kinetic energy and colorful vibrancy of the city neighborhood. An author’s note about Harlem Grown and straightforward instructions for how to “start a garden anywhere” conclude. Ages 4–8. (May) (Publishers Weekly February 3, 2020)

In his debut children’s book, Hillery creates a visual history of the organization he started, Harlem Grown, which was born after he visited an elementary school and noticed an abandoned, litterfilled lot nearby. Hillery had the idea to initiate an urban gardening project and began to clear the lot and plant seeds with the help of the school children. Gouache illustrations in fitting earth tones carry a childlike look and energy that matches the uplifting story, where hard work (and
teamwork) is deliciously rewarded. This delivers a vibrant tale that is about more than growing plants; Hillery’s vision helped to transform and mobilize the entire community to positively impact the environment. This book delivers on the vision and hopes we all want to instill in children, and it imparts an underlying message that one person can make a big difference. An inspiring picture book for youngsters with meaningful ties to the environment, sustainability, and community engagement. (Booklist March 1, 2020)

Ideas plus action yield big rewards is the premise of this debut picture book, written by the founder and executive director of Harlem Grown, a New York City community garden collective. The text offers a historical account of the origins of Hillery’s organization and an inspirational story about working together to meet a community need. Acclaimed illustrator Hartland (Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science) features characters of various ages and ethnicities. Led by Mr. Tony (and inspired by a little girl named Nevaeh), the community members clean an empty lot, prepare the land, and plant fruits and vegetables. The whimsical illustrations, framed by a palette of muted and lush greens and complementary colors, perfectly capture the book’s theme of growth and collaboration. Instructions for starting a garden anywhere and additional resources for children and their families are included. VERDICT A wonderful addition to picture book collections in school and public libraries. (School Library Journal June 2020)

While volunteering at P.S. 175, across the street from a trash-filled vacant lot that kids call “the haunted garden,” Hillery (“Mr. Tony”) has an idea. Soon students are helping him clear the lot and plant 400 seedlings, “one for each kid.” Vegetables, herbs, berries, even watermelon. Hartland’s joyful folk-art illustrations bop from the gray-toned jazzy vibrancy of a bustling city neighborhood to the colorful harvest of a lush urban farm. Includes a step-by-step guide to starting a garden “anywhere.” (The New York Times September 20, 2020)

About the Author

Tony Hillery is the founder and executive director of Harlem Grown. In 2011, he began volunteering at a public elementary school in Harlem. It was then that he noticed the vacant lot across from the street and had a big idea. The rest is history. Tony lives in New York, New York. He is the author of picture books Harlem Grown and Saturdays at Harlem Grown.

Jessie Hartland is the author and illustrator of many nonfiction titles for young readers, including Our Flag Was Still There, which was named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. The New York Times praised her “joyful folk-art illustrations” in Harlem Grown, written by Tony Hillery. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale’s, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. She has done drawings for many magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family Club, Martha Stewart Kids, and Bon Appétit. She lives in New York City. Visit her at JessieHartland.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Z445SR4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 18, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5468 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 250 ratings

About the author

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Jessie Hartland

Jessie Hartland

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Jessie Hartland is a New York City based author and artist. She has written and illustrated over twelve books for children and adults including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great! (Schwartz & Wade, 2015) which has been translated in over 12 languages, Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child (Schwartz & Wade, 2012) and How the Sphinx got to the Museum, which was named a Top Ten Sci-Tech Books for Youth in 2010 from Booklist. Her editorial illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel & Leisure magazine, the Washington Post, and many others. Hartland has also designed window displays for Barneys and Bloomingdale’s, painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, and illustrated ceramics, watches, packaging, and all sorts of other things.

“For being a streamlined look at an impressively packed life, Insanely Great is a complete and multifaceted story…The book is nuanced without being sprawling; comprehensive but not exhaustive, for that matter.”-----Macworld.com

“…bursting with exuberant urban-naif gouache paintings and a hand-lettered text that somehow manages to recount every second of Child’s life.”

---New York Times

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
250 global ratings
A Beautiful Garden from an Old Vacant Lot
5 Stars
A Beautiful Garden from an Old Vacant Lot
In New York City there was a vacant lot full of junk and trash.A man saw the lot and decided to do something with it, to do something that would help the whole community. With the help of the students at the school across the street, the man began to clean off the junk and trash. Together the man and the students made the lot into a beautiful inner-city garden. And that garden is there today.An inspiring story of a man's vision to make the world a little bit better, to help children become more active and more knowledgable, and to allow the community to grow a little bit stronger. The illustrations are delightfully kid-friendly. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this idea could be borrowed and used in places all over the world.
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Top reviews from the United States

onebighappyfamily
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
Beautiful, thoughtfully written, inspiring story. Purchased as a gift for the little girl I tutored in reading.
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RachelAAdler
5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Book & Great Organization
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is absolutely wonderful my niece loves to hear this book. The illustrations are so engaging and it makes you want to get involved. It is the perfect toolkit for starting a garden and learning to love veggies. The book is inspiring and also talks in a way children can understand issues like food deserts. This should be a read for every child in NYC.
2 people found this helpful
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Robyn Massey
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and true story
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is a no-brainer. It tells a lovely story, illustrated by lovely illustrations. But mostly, it is a true and needed story for our time, and proceeds go to the a garden that turned blight into bounty and that you, quite frankly, have to see to believe on Lenox and 127th Street in New York City. Tony is a local Harlem hero and treasure.
2 people found this helpful
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ShoeCrazy
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story, illustrations, and cause
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
My daughter loved this story and illustrations, and related to the urban setting and community since we also live in a city. Buying this book is also a great opportunity to support a wonderful cause.
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Conscious Shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson for all of us!
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
A simple, wonderful, inspiring story that comes to life as you turn each beautifully light hearted illustrated page! A story to be shared with the generations. “ How One big idea transformed a neighborhood”.
2 people found this helpful
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James Roberts
4.0 out of 5 stars True story, inspirational
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
True story of an empty lot in Harlem, NY. converted into a community farm. Inspired by a visitor to their school (which is directly across the street from the junk filled lot) the children all pitch in, clean up the lot and through some trials and tribulations, create a bountiful urban farm. Wonderful illustrations highlight the mood change from dreary, vacant lot to colorful fresh fruits and vegetables. Nice, real life picture of the author/garden inspirer included at the end (There are 12 such gardens in surrounding neighborhoods). Plus some gardening tips!
3 people found this helpful
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Angel D. O'Connell
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
Positive message and a true story
One person found this helpful
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pamela thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021
Harlem Grown is a feel good read about one man, a big idea, an empty, abandoned lot full of trash and a school full of hard-working kids. When Mr. Tony visits their school, he sees the ugly lot of trash the kids call "the haunted garden" and he begins to clear the trash himself. With a new, clean lot and he began to put in fresh soil and plant seedlings. A girl named Neveah helped Mr. Tony and soon her friends joined in.

They planted 400 seedlings per child. This was great for the kids who had no art or gym classes. They spent their energy in the garden. After the first plants failed, Mr. Tony built raised beds and they planted again. In a neighborhood that has fifty-five fast food restaurants but no grocery store to buy fresh produce, Mr. Tony taught the kids and their families to run the garden and reap the rewards in fresh food. Soon other sites opened. Now there are twelve gardens all over Harlem with twenty-two full time employees. Harlem Grown uses mentors from the neighborhood to teach the younger kids about hard work and good nutrition.

From one man and one seed, a movement and foundation was born. Truly an inspiring story of hope for a blighted neighborhood and a chance for the children to have pride in their work, rescuing one vacant lot at a time and turning it into a garden of sustenance to feed their neighbors.

Folk art illustrations are colorful and beautiful. The story of Mr. Tony and his gardens is included following the story and instructions on how to start a garden and additional resources for future study.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Every child should have this book. Every adult should read this book. Everyone should look at their own neighborhood and find a project to make it a better place.
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