I'm Glad That You're Happy

July 23, 2018
In a lyrical, allegorical story, an anthropomorphic leafy plant is potted with another plant: “You have to take care of your little friend. It is smaller and weaker than you,” advises the florist. When the plants are taken home to live and grow with a painter and his family, they quietly observe the joys and sorrows of the household. Kazemi’s hazy, dreamlike images are infused with gentle melancholy as warmly stylized human figures—wearing patterned clothing echoed by Kazemi’s depictions of climbing, curling vines and leaves—enjoy “times of happiness” and endure “times of despair.” When the plant’s friend grows strong, beautiful, and too large for their shared pot, the painter moves the friend to its own home: “My roots were entwined in yours. Leaving you was hard,” the plant says. Yet it accepts the inevitability of change and the importance of supporting others’ success and growth. Ages 4–7.

July 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-When a kind florist places two plants together in the same pot, he instructs the stronger of the two to take care of its smaller, weaker friend. Not long after, an artist visits the shop and purchases the pot, promising to plant both sprigs in his garden once they are big enough. The artist takes the plants home and they become part of his family, present for both the joys and sorrows of their lives. Over time, however, the plants grow too big to thrive in the same pot, and the artist must separate them: "It was a difficult moment. My roots were entwined in yours. Leaving you was hard." While painful, the big plant realizes that the little one needs more space to grow, and dreams of the day when they will be reunited in the artist's garden and "grow into huge trees" side by side. Rendered in pastel, colored pencil, and collage, the illustrations have a hazy, ethereal feel. Kazemi warmly depicts a close family, and the art is filled with cozy details of their life together. It also teems with a variety of plant life, though, curiously, only the potted narrator and its partner are anthropomorphized. VERDICT This comforting allegorical story is best suited to large collections with a need for picture books addressing empathy, growth, and change. An additional purchase.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
A smiling plant narrates its life story, beginning the day that it is potted.It is a happy moment when Mr. Florist holds a big green plant who shares its pot with a smaller plant. They live an idyllic existence in a flower shop filled to overflowing with many beautifully colored blooms. Customers happily sniff their ways through the selections. Then there's more joy as a man with a garden takes them home, one that is filled with other plants and with many paintings of even more plants. They, the plants, are not passive observers but share in the good times and the bad. Then comes change--necessary but so traumatic. The smaller plant needs more space for its own roots. It is a move for the better, and once it's done the bigger plant is oh so happy. Their future is full of birds singing and children playing. Perhaps this is a story about how to grow plants, but more likely it's intended as a parable about parenting, nurturing, and letting go while maintaining bonds. The Iranian-born author and artist, who now lives in Canada, tells her tale of child-rearing with a positive and fairly glowing feeling of all-around goodness. She uses pastels, colored pencils, and collage in an impressionistic palette that gives her words an almost dreamy setting. Her characters are all white. Plants are pretty but passive, and it's doubtful many readers will find them meaningful stand-ins for parenting. (Picture book. 4-7)

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July 1, 2018
Grades K-3 Two plants share one small pot in this winsome picture book. The plants, one big and one small, are happy together for a time, particularly after a friendly artist takes them home to his house filled with beautiful things. But as they grow bigger under his care, the smaller of the two plants begins to suffer, so, for the sake of both plants, they're put into separate pots. Even though the larger plant doesn't see its old companion as often, it sees paintings of its happy face on the artist's walls. Kazemi's soft, lustrous colored-pencil, pastel, and collage illustrations are filled with warm, green plants?the narrating plant and its friend have gently smiling faces?that spill over the edges and occasionally incorporate photos of trees and flowers. Even the textiles and wallpaper have botanical details. The blocky shapes and blurry borders give the artwork a plush, comforting look, which nicely fits the cozy story. The sweet narrative about the enduring love between parents and children, along with the detail-rich artwork, makes this perfect for sharing one-on-one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)