The Concrete Garden
by Bob Graham; illus. by the author
Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.
11/23    9781536233803    $18.99

“After a cold, hard winter” (and “written in the time of Covid,” per the dedication page), Graham tells and shows a story of children making a world with art. The setting initially appears unpromising: a brutalist, gray apartment building enlivened only by some lines of faded laundry. But then children spill out from the front door “like candies from a box.” Amanda has a supply of sidewalk chalk, and the diverse group of kids proceeds to a basketball court and draws a giant garden complete with flowers, trees, snails, insects, aliens, and “The Queen of Swirls.” Graham does a heart-lifting job of portraying the kind of creativity that flourishes without planning, goals, or adult input when children engage in parallel play—beside but not exactly “with” one another. A photo taken of the resulting work of art goes viral, and we see the worldwide ripple effect of this spontaneous event. What happens when it rains? Jackson, Lovejoy, Janet, the twins, Indira, Arthur, and the whole gang reappear, and new creative opportunities present themselves. In this joyous offering, Graham (most recently Jigsaw, rev. 9/22) cements his role as the master of the optimistic picture book.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.