This was an interesting little read and predictable for an adult. For a young reader it would be eye opening. I enjoyed how the book started with person A adn the next thing you know A is intertwined accidentally with person B, C, D, etc.... This book was a journey through the neighborhood's people and cultures and problems but tied them together with a common string. I liked that the chapters were short, the book moved quickly, and identified people in specific and varied ways. I would use this book to teach or discuss community, friendship, teamwork, real life issues like loneliness, aging, teen pregnancy, heritage, elders, etc.... for upper grades. In an SDA situation 7-10 grades for public 5th-10th grades due to the teen pregnancy, marijuana, and violent robbery mentioned in the book. It was good though. ( )

Seedfolks touched my heart. I loved the various stories from the various point of views and how a garden affected those people. I loved the multicultural community building theme of the book. It demonstrates racial tolerance and the beauty of nature's effects. The only problem I had with this book is that it kept me wanting to know more! I wanted to hear how the various characters stories progressed. I would love to have students write their own endings to an individuals stories. This is a great way to model point of views and to teach students how to write from different perspectives on a singular issue. ( )

this a funny book with great characters and it is a good book to read. ( )

This is one of my favorites from grade school, but it transfers to adults also. It shows how little acts of caring and kindness by a few people can transform a neighborhood, and that you don't have to be the stereotypical "White Knight" to save your city.. Obviously, since the heroine is only about 8 years old. And it's about gardens and fresh food, which i love and is totally AWESOME!. The Broken Window Theory running backwards i guess you could say... ( )

This short story provides monologues from 13 different people and their perspective on a local garden. One girl decides to honor her father on the anniversary of his death by planting lima bean seeds in a small plot of land covered in garbage. That one action has a domino effect on the community and eventually people from all over this diverse part of Cleveland to grow vegetables and flowers. Each community member faces different hardships but this garden acts as an agent to bring people together.
The dialect of each person is so beautifully portrayed that it feels like you are having a conversation with him/her. I also appreciate that the story identified people in the community that did not participate in the garden and in fact, threw trash in it or stole from it, because it made the story more believable. There are also small head shots at the beginning of every chapter which serve as a nice tool to picture the person telling you his/her story. This would be a great book to introduce the topic of diversity or changing the world one small step at a time. ( )