Wandermelon
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A vine is growing near Farmer Brown's ditch. Soon enough, its tendrils reach through Farmer Purple's pasture, across Francine Cranston's parlor, around the local school, and all the way to the tippy top of the tallest slide in Franklin Flume's Water Park. And that's where a watermelon begins to grow and grow and grow.
Soon enough, the townspeople start to argue over who really owns the watermelon. "It eats my compost!" "It sunbathes on my porch!" "It drinks my birdbath!" "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" But nobody thinks to ask the watermelon to whom it belongs. Just as the Runaway Gingerbread Man of prior times made clear, and as the townspeople will learn, not everything and everyone can be owned, and what we all share is the deep instinct to grow and live freely.
Praise for Wandermelon
Kramer's compact text is tucked into white spaces amid Bamieh's soft, watercolorlike full-page illustrations, with distinctive portraiture and two sweeping gatefolds, the thriving vine and its elaborate root system rendered in glorious detail. ... this tale pits acquisitiveness against autonomy and community-mindedness and offers a lesson of gentle moral intelligence for a wide range of young readers. ... A sweet and frolicsome modern fable.
Kirkus Reviews
Younger readers will enjoy the fantasy story and details such as skeletons and worms among the roots, while older ones may delve into the tale's deeper themes of community and personal expression.
Booklist
"Spotlighting the natural world and playing with themes of community, connection, and sovereignty, it's a timely eco-fable."
Publishers Weekly
This lively picture book follows a watermelon's wandering growth and the havoc it wreaks among those who want to lay claim to bits of nature. ...An exploding "cascade of juice and seeds" reminds the townspeople that there's enough for everyone, and that life is best for all when wild things remain "always and forever free.
Foreword Reviews
Jacob Kramer lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where he loves growing food in the local community garden. One summer, he even grew a little watermelon! Kramer is also the author of Noodlephant and its sequel Okapi Tale, two more stories of food, freedom, and friendship from Enchanted Lion Books. Yara Bamieh is a children’s book maker and botanical artist. Her stories often explore themes of exclusion, individuality, and growth. In addition, nature is a constant source of inspiration in her work, shaping both the visuals and the emotional tone of her books. She lives with her family in Palestine, surrounded by plants, stories, and plenty of sketchbooks.
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