Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table

K-Gr 5—This is the true story of a farmer who set out to grow a garden in the middle of Milwaukee. As a child, Will Allen disliked working in his family's garden, but when he was living in Belgium and playing basketball professionally, he discovered that he loved gardening. Upon returning to the States, he purchased greenhouses in Milwaukee and recruited children to help make the soil healthy and grow food to share. Eventually, Allen involved more of his community and soon grew enough to sell produce to neighbors and restaurants. He began traveling around the world teaching people how to become farmers themselves. Narrator Peter Jay Fernandez does a lovely job of reading the story, which is interspersed with sound effects and musical interludes to indicate new sections. Children will enjoy listening while following along with the accompanying book. Will Allen reads his afterword, and Martin reads the author's note. Gardening resources for children are included along with a link to Martin's resources. This is a wonderful addition to any library's nonfiction collection.—Elizabeth Elsbree, Krug Elementary School, Aurora, IL