Willadeene's farm is in the middle of nowhere and that's how she likes it. She plants her vegetables and enjoys her quiet life. One day, a man knocks on her door and offers to buy the farm. But she refuses. Soon, buildings rise all around her, and crowded streets with...
Julie Koon is a children's book author and illustrator who loves making sweet and silly books for kids. As a preschool teacher and former school counselor, Julie brings playfulness and heartfelt warmth to each page. She loves drawing expressive characters and relatable moments. Her debut picture book, The Struggle Bus, was published by Kind World Publishing. Julie lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three kids. When she's not working on her next big idea, she can be found exploring the city and playing board games with her family.
“Willadeene’s farm becomes a treasured city oasis, in which neighbors gather and community flourishes. Though the farmer once enjoyed her solitude, she now, 'to her surprise,' relishes selling vegetables to city folk, portrayed with various skin tones, and exchanging waves with the bus driver. And when advancing years finally force Willadeene to consider the heartbreaking sale of her farm, the community she has nurtured steps forward in this tale of supportive resilience that’s both personal and communal.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“Willadeene’s vegetable farm is just where she likes it. “In the wide-open middle of nowhere.” Even when a man offers her a whole truckload of money for it, she tells him that the farm is not for sale. The man . . . builds a town that turns into a city, and Willadeene goes right on farming. The city folk love having a farm in the middle of their town, and Willadeene adapts to being a part of her new community. Peopled with an array of pleasingly stylized, multicultural characters, the book’s backgrounds and images of vegetable plots are rich with patterns that bring to mind textile prints. VERDICT A satisfying story that also could be useful for discussions about our need for natural spaces or about what community means.”
—School Library Journal
