Joy Takes Root

In her grandmother's garden, a young Black girl learns about mindfulness and herbal medicine in this soothing intergenerational story about our connection to nature.

It's Joy's first summer in her grandmother's South Carolina garden—a rite of passage. In the midst of okra, spinach, and strawberries, Grammy teaches Joy that plants are friends with many uses. Herbs, for example, can be turned into medicine.

There in Grammy's abundant backyard, Joy learns to listen for the heartbeat of the earth and connect it to her own as she takes deep breaths and puts her intentions into the soil. By the story's end, she learns to grow seeds in her own garden, honoring all that her grandmother taught her. With sensory-rich illustrations from award-winning illustrator Ashleigh Corrin, Joy Takes Root is a blissful reminder of all that might bloom.

Publication Date: June 20, 2023 Publisher: Kokila Print ISBN: 978-0593406786 Price: $18.99

  • "A quiet, thoughtful tale that promotes mindfulness, intentionality, gratitude, and connection."

    Kirkus Reviews

  • "A beautiful ode to both the natural world and intergenerational cultural wisdom that imbues the sequential steps of planting a garden with a deeply felt spirituality."

    The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

  • "Moving... a reap-what-you-sow telling that considers what’s been given and what’s yet to come."

    Publishers Weekly

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