As featured on Humans of New York

“Hartland’s joyful folk-art illustrations bop from the gray-toned jazzy vibrancy of a bustling city neighborhood to the colorful harvest of a lush urban farm.” —The New York Times
“An inspiring picture book for youngsters with meaningful ties to the environment, sustainability, and community engagement.” —Booklist

​Discover the incredible true story of Harlem Grown, a lush garden in New York City that grew out of an abandoned lot and now feeds a neighborhood.

Once
In a big city called New York
In a bustling neighborhood
There was an empty lot.
Nevaeh called it the haunted garden.

Harlem Grown tells the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration.

Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families. The incredible story is vividly brought to life with Jessie Hartland’s “charmingly busy art” (Booklist) that readers will pore over in search of new details as they revisit this poignant and uplifting tale over and over again.

Harlem Grown is an independent, not-for-profit organization. The author’s share of the proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to Harlem Grown.

BIO

Tony Hillery is the founder and executive director of Harlem Grown. In 2011, he began volunteering at a public elementary school in Harlem. It was then that he noticed the vacant lot across from the street and had a big idea. The rest is history. Tony lives in New York, New York. He is the author of picture books Harlem Grown and Saturdays at Harlem Grown.

REVIEWS

"Working together, Mr. Tony and the kids clear the lot, bring in clean dirt, and plant. When plants wilt, he says, “We’ll plant something different” and builds raised beds until, finally, “tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries, strawberries, collard greens, kale, basil, arugula” grow, and the children share their harvest with their families. Hartland’s gouache illustrations wobble endearingly, colorfully capturing the children’s triumph, and the kinetic energy and colorful vibrancy of the city neighborhood." -- Publishers Weekly

"This book delivers on the vision and hopes we all want to instill in children, and it imparts an underlying message that one person can make a big difference. An inspiring picture book for youngsters with meaningful ties to the environment, sustainability, and community engagement." -- Booklist

"A wonderful addition to picture book collections in school and public libraries." -- School Library Journal

"Hartland’s joyful folk-art illustrations bop from the gray-toned jazzy vibrancy of a bustling city neighborhood to the colorful harvest of a lush urban farm. Includes a step-by-step guide to starting a garden 'anywhere.'" -- The New York Times

[H]  Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books  /  August 18, 2020

0.5" H x 8.6" L x 11.1" W (1.0 lbs) 40 pages

For ages 4 to 8