Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood

When “Mr. Tony” Hillery visits Harlem’s Public School 175, he notices from the school window a vacant, littered lot in the otherwise bustling neighborhood. Nevaeh, a student at the school, has dubbed the lot the “haunted garden,” but Mr. Tony invites her, her classmates, and the community to help him clean it up and convert it to a community garden. Though Nevaeh’s initial plant withers and dies, Mr. Tony encouragingly says, “We’ll try again.” In the end, the garden is so successful that the students are able to take home fresh grown fruits and vegetables to their families, and the garden spreads from one location to over ten plots throughout Harlem. An Author’s Note shares a lot of the impressive details about author “Mr. Tony” Hillery’s actual development of the Harlem Grown gardens, which provide local kids an alternative to the myriad of unhealthy food options in their community as well as a good outlet for their abundant energy. Hartland’s gouache illustrations are fluid and particularly excellent in portraying the city landscape—incorporating many details those familiar with Harlem’s rich culture and history will appreciate, like the Apollo Theater—and depicting the garden’s transformation from barren lot to beautiful, thriving garden that inspires life and light throughout the entire neighborhood.

“An inspiring picture book for youngsters with meaningful ties to the environment, sustainability, and community engagement.” —Booklist
“Hartland’s gouache illustrations wobble endearingly, colorfully capturing the children’s triumph, and the kinetic energy and colorful vibrancy of the city neighborhood.” —Publishers Weekly

Discover the incredible true story of Harlem Grown, a lush garden in New York City that grew out of an abandoned lot and now feeds a neighborhood.

Once
In a big city called New York
In a bustling neighborhood
There was an empty lot.
Nevaeh called it the haunted garden.

Harlem Grown tells the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration.

Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families. The incredible story is vividly brought to life with Jessie Hartland’s “charmingly busy art” (Booklist) that readers will pore over in search of new details as they revisit this poignant and uplifting tale over and over again.

Harlem Grown is an independent, not-for-profit organization. The author’s share of the proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to Harlem Grown.