Why read Lala's Words?

Book cover of Lala's Words: A Story of Planting Kindness

Book description

Winner of the 2022 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award!

From debut author-illustrator Gracey Zhang comes a timeless and timely picture book that celebrates the unassuming power of kind words.

Oh, there goes Lala! She carries a pot of water around the corner, down the block, and over the fence, to…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Lala's Words as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Danica Novgorodoff

Author

This book reminds me of my neighborhood in Brooklyn, with its sweltering summer streets and “empty” lots overflowing with weeds. Of course, as Lala discovers, an empty lot is rarely actually empty.

Lala develops a deep friendship with the plants in one patch of dirt and concrete—her own urban secret garden. When her mom makes her stay inside one especially hot day (“Stop playing with weeds and leaves!” her exasperated mother cries), Lala mourns not being able to visit her beloved garden. But her care and kind words have grown something magnificent… And I adore the loose, brushy artwork in…

From Danica's list on playing in nature.