Where Wonder Grows

Starred review from December 21, 2020
Previous collaborators González and Garcia (All Around Us) follow three girls into their grandmother’s garden, “the place/ where wonder grows/ and stories blossom.” In Garcia’s swirling spreads, they gather on a blanket around a cache of “magic rocks/ and relics from nature.” The rocks are not just objects, Grandmother teaches them: “They are beings... alive with wisdom.” Asked to tell about “the ones with a healing touch,” she offers stories about curanderas who minister using crystals. Garcia paints one of the girls holding a transparent crystal framed by layers—a warm, shining core covered with strata of earth and water. They examine coral—the sea’s rocklike substance—and talk about the power of water to wear rock down. “So when life feels too hard, just go with the... FLOW!” the girls chorus. Finally, Grandmother shows them meteorites, “who flew.../ like freed light/ dancing on air.” Lyrical words by González (a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation) emphasize the intergenerational ties that bind the characters and show Indigenous knowledge in the process of being passed down. Garcia’s portraits center affectionate familial gestures alongside mural-like views of sunset skies and evocative representations of fire, earth, air, and water. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from October 15, 2020
Celebrate the wondrous stories that exist all around thanks to the marvels stored in rocks. A group of dreamers follows Grandma to her special garden. They spread a plush blanket upon the ground and gather the "magic rocks and relics from nature." The young dreamers sit and wonder as Grandma holds the rocks in her hands, calling on the fiery wisdom of the ancestors molded into testaments of time. What about "the ones with super powers?" ask the dreamers. Grandma takes a crystal--shot through with shades of plum and streaks of cerulean--and speaks of curanderas who harness the healing powers of "quartz of all kinds." Next, consider the might of coral reefs and shells, deep in the depths where water smooths even the most stubborn rock. Grandma and her dreamers then ponder the meteorites in their hands, envisioning the arcs that these starry fragments undertook to arrive on Earth. Expanding on the infinite flights of fancy unearthed in All Around Us (2017), Gonz�lez (Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation) and Garcia's latest enchanting collaboration plumbs deeper into the natural curiosities that shape readers' earthly realities. It's a sweet summoning emboldened by Gonz�lez's starry-eyed text, an assortment of phrases and statements that gesture toward the promise found in young readers everywhere. Garcia's muralist background lends itself here to striking, gorgeous artwork that embodies a whimsical sense of cosmic compassion. Overall, the art showcased in this hopeful manifesto soars. Simply dazzling. (rock facts) (Picture book. 5-10)

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September 1, 2020
Grades K-3 Gonz�lez's poetic, eloquent writing is successfully complemented by Garcia's stunning paintings, full of color and energy, in this book about a grandmother sharing her love and affinity for nature with the youngest generation in her family. Grandma tells the children stories in her garden, but, rather than focus on the greenery and plant growth, she introduces them to the mineral and crystal wonders of the earth, speaking to these elements' impact on their family's ancestors and Indigenous culture as a whole. Through the grandmother's voice, Gonz�lez ties together earthen and ethereal elements with these natural wonders: volcanic rocks (fire), crystals (earth), shells (water), and meteorites (air), inspiring a sense of curiosity and awe in her listeners. Readers will revel in Garcia's nearly psychedelic application of color and emotion in paintings inspired by and depicting the author's own family. From a thoughtful author's note to the readers' guide at the end of the book, this author-illustrator team offers their readers a thought-provoking, mind-expanding piece of art that shows gratitude to our planet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)