Book Review Unit 1 Grandma's Rooftop Garden

 

1. Bibliography.  Wei, Tang. Grandma’s Roof Garden. Translated by Kelly Zhang, Levine Querido, 2023. ISBN 9781646147014.

2. Plot Summary This story is told from the perspective of a child who clearly loves their grandma very much, and we get this peek into her everyday life in southwest China. Grandma lives at the top of an apartment building, and she has this amazing garden on the roof. Not just a few plants here and there, but a full garden that she’s grown over time with so much care. The book takes its time showing us all the little things Grandma does. She goes out into the city each day pulling her cart behind her, collecting scraps, checking on vegetables making to go baggies of food for people who come to her table. She’s in constant motion, always doing something. And while none of it is flashy or dramatic, it paints this picture of a woman who is deeply connected to her place, her routine, and the garden she’s built with her hands, all of which are traditional values in Chinese culture. The book really focuses on going into detail describing each tomato, bok choi, eggplant, and all of the various other food grandma grows, first in the garden, and then the meal that it is transformed by. At the very end, the narrator ties it all together by telling us again what this garden means to their family and the love they have for their grandma, even though she seems like she is slowing down in life.

3. Analysis (with cultural markers) This story isn’t just about plants. It’s about memory, and caretaking, and honoring the people who showed us how to tend to things, even if they don’t say it out loud. It’s about growing up but still carrying someone’s love with you. It’s a safe way for kids to discuss and recognize the feelings of watching the people around us, that love us and take care of us, and the habits and skills that they spend their days developing. Even though this book only says “love” once at the very end, you can feel it from the pages with every choice and action grandma takes. The descriptions of the book too very much sounded like the rhythm and syntax were different from American children storyteller writing. When I was listening to the read aloud for it, the author really put a focus on the way they phrased certain things, like “her corn flour blue apron” or her “stride to reach her garden in the sky.” These are just a few examples, but the book is chock full of them. I like that she personified the vegetables as well in grandma’s garden, making them cry out when they were “hungry” or needed water and tending. There is a lot of emphasis too on the importance and healthiness of the veggies, and how they are going to make her family strong.

4. Reviews/Awards

-USBBY List for 2025

-Worlds of Words Recommended List 2025

-“This heartwarming tale is one to share and treasure.”
–BookPage (starred)

-“In this exquisite debut inspired by her childhood and a precious elder, Wei lovingly cultivates a picture book that captures Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, with expressionistic folk art and vibrant, textured colored-pencil illustrations… Readers with a green thumb will admire Granny’s passion for giving back to the community while living happily and healthily in green spaces.”
–Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)

5. Connections

This book could be used for a variety of reasons in both an ELA and library setting. We could discuss symbolism, personification and inferencing for this story. The book could also be used for making predictions and discussion about real life concerns—what does Grandma’s garden mean to their family and their community? What might happen to the garden in the next few years, since grandma seems like she is having a harder time taking care of it? It would be a great cultural piece too to talk about family, and how respect looks in some of our different homes, or how they might be willing to help grandma keep growing her rooftop garden.