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Summary
Summary
Caroline lives on Meadowview Street. But where's the meadow Where's the view There's nothing growing in her front yard except grass. Then she spots a flower and a butterfly and a bird and Caroline realizes that with her help, maybe Meadowview Street can have a meadow after all.
Author Notes
Henry Cole has illustrated more than fifty books for children including The Leprechaun's Gold by Pamela Duncan Edwards, Little Bo by Julie Andrews, and On Meadow Street, which he wrote. His first novel was A Nest for Celeste.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The front lawn of Caroline's new home is like all the others in her cookie-cutter subdivision-it's a simple, sterile patch of green that falls far short of the "Meadowview" that her street name promises. But after she saves the yard's single wildflower from her father's lawnmower, Caroline is inspired to turn her lawn into a tiny nature preserve. Mom agrees to buy a maple tree, Dad is only too willing to sell the lawnmower and help his daughter build birdhouses and a pond and an idyllic habitat begins to take shape-one that inspires their neighbors. "And soon, the Jacksons' yard changed. And the Smiths'. And the Sotos'," writes Cole (On the Way to the Beach). "Now there really was a meadow on Meadowview Street." As a writer, Cole is almost reportorial in tone; he wisely chooses not to limn the depth of his heroine's emotional landscape, which could have turned his book into a sappy "kids-can-do-anything" story. But the growing lushness of the yard-beautifully portrayed in meticulously detailed, velvety acrylics-clues readers into Caroline's burgeoning sense of belonging and accomplishment. It's a lovely parable of suburban life. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Caroline notices a wildflower growing on her family's sterile suburban lawn. She persuades her father not to mow it, and soon she has her own miniature nature preserve. Adding trees and a pond inspires the neighbors to join in. While the environmental message is none too subtle, the clean acrylic illustrations effectively show the neighborhood's flowering, as it goes from uniform to unique. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
"*Starred Review* When Caroline and her family move to a ticky-tacky suburban development, their street's pleasant name prompts an exploratory stroll to see if there really is a meadow on Meadowview Street. The girl doesn't get far before she spies a beautiful, solitary flower on her own lawn. Caroline cordons off the bloom, creating a small wildflower preserve that expands as her thoughtful additions (a maple, bird feeders, a pond) allow nature to take root and thrive. The jab at soulless suburbia and its faux-bucolic trappings may be most appreciated by adults, but the crucial message (especially about the importance of green corridors, migration paths for birds and beasts) will speak strongly to today's ecologically aware children. And it's all done without stridency. Cole's understated watercolors match the tale's gentle tone, while still showcasing the satisfying contrast between the antiseptic tract houses and the riotous, organic tangle of Caroline's front-yard Eden. The artwork also hints at the metaphorical blossoming of the lonely newcomer as the growth of the garden both parallels and prompts new connections with neighborhood children. Similarities abound with Sarah Stewart's The Gardener (1997), a natural companion, but this story's contemporary setting will have particular resonance for many young readers, who can identify with the empowered girl as they applaud her efforts' many benefits."--"Mattson, Jennifer" Copyright 2007 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Caroline and her family have recently moved to Meadowview Street, in a development where all of the properties look alike and there's not a meadow in sight. The girl is about to go in search of one when she notices a small flower. "It's beautiful! Caroline said to herself. And all alone." She asks her dad to work around it while mowing the lawn, hurries inside to find string and sticks, and builds a "small wildflower preserve." As other flowers bloom, she enlarges the area. Dad puts the lawn mower up for sale, and, with the help of her parents, Caroline (surely an heir to Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius) sets about transforming her suburban backyard into a teeming ecosystem. Soon there are butterflies, birds, a pond, flowers, trees, and a real meadow on Meadowview Street. "And soon, the Jacksons' yard changed. And the Smiths'. And the Sotos'." Cole's economical text and tender, acrylic paintings tell the story with simplicity and energy as the barren strip of grass evolves into a lush habitat. This lovely picture book offers children a quiet approach to embracing the natural world.-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
While her father mows the lawn at her new house, Caroline wonders how it could actually reflect the street's name. Soon she finds a small blossom growing in the grass, then another, and eventually persuades Dad to sell the mower while the yard grows freely with wildflowers. Adding a maple tree and a man-made pond attracts an assortment of wildlife from birds, to insects, to a mud turtle and a meadow mouse. Neighbors are encouraged to follow suit, creating meadow environments rather than pristine lawns. Full-color acrylic paintings in double-paged spreads of multiple shades of green, dotted with hues of summer flowers, tell this nature-lover's story which suggests the possibility of chemical-free garden environments. Though the message will be missed by young children, most will enjoy a final rendering of all the meadow creatures next to their proper names that now live on Meadowview Street. Gentle persuasion for the naturalist in everyone. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
