JUST FLOWERS

A flower-loving child helps a grouchy neighbor blossom.

Dark-haired, brown-skinned Izzy’s a botanical whiz kid. Izzy's determined to befriend the new next-door neighbor, a light-skinned fellow gardener obsessed with growing roses. Izzy reaches out, only to be repeatedly rebuffed. The neighbor’s garden still hasn’t produced roses, though Izzy brightly announces what is growing: buttercups, parrot tulips, and more. Once the roses bloom, the crank tells Izzy to take those other flowers away from his precious roses. Izzy does. Others benefit from Izzy’s generosity, among them Izzy's mom, the mayor, and migrating monarch butterflies, which stop at the milkweed waystation Izzy has created. When Izzy wins the Green Thumb Award, the curmudgeon’s outraged that his roses have gone unrewarded; he doesn’t comprehend that Izzy’s blooms—seemingly “just common flowers”—have brightened lives. In the end, the grump proves that he knows plenty about plants, too—and reveals a happier disposition. This bright, bouncy story offers some lovely messages: Kindness can soften the hardest hearts, and we miss out when we make snap judgments. Cosgrove’s colorful illustrations have a childlike exuberance, set against textured backdrops. Laudably, professionals such as a pediatrician and a school principal are depicted as female-presenting people of color. Dealey never explains why the neighbor is so ill-tempered, but kids will be happy to see him welcomed into the fold.

A vibrant reminder to look beyond appearances—a lesson that applies to flowers as well as to people.