What do you think?
Rate this book
Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City
From high school students to high-rise dwellers, people—including Michelle Obama—are discovering innovative ways to grow fresh, healthy, and delicious fruit and vegetables at home, in community gardens, and at school. This brisk, informative overview explains how farming in the city is not only fun, but also important for the planet. There are many ways to farm in the a Detroit high school program teaches students to grow food and raise chickens; in Tokyo, a bank vault was converted into an underground greenhouse; in Nairobi, local youth transformed part of a slum into a garden that helps feed their families. Read about modern inventions such as futuristic pod greenhouses, food-producing wall panels, and industrial-sized composters. Short, kid-friendly descriptions and vibrant photos and illustrations keep the pace moving and the tone light. Toronto Public Health and FoodShare, two respected agencies, both have contributed to the book. Potatoes on Rooftops is the perfect book to get you thinking about how you, too, can grow food in the city.
84 pages, Hardcover
First published July 24, 2012
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Hadley Dyer
28 books39 followersHadley Dyer is the author of Here So Far Away, Johnny Kellock Died Today, winner of the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award, and other acclaimed titles for children and young adults. She has worked in the children’s book industry for more than twenty years and for multiple organizations promoting the cause of literacy and reading, including CODE, IBBY Canada, and the Canadian Children's Book Centre. Raised in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, she now resides in Toronto.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 11, 2013
Filled with reasons for growing your own food and tips for how to do so, even if you do live in a city or don't have a green thumb, this book offers many examples of communities that are doing so successfully. There are all sorts of suggestions for ways to take advantage of the growing space near your home or even consider participating in a community garden. The book is sure to prompt many readers to consider making lifestyle changes and perhaps encourage students and teachers to get involved in gardening projects. Not only does the book describe practices that harken back to earlier times, but it also highlights hydroponics and vertical gardens. Middle graders and older readers will enjoy this title while being astounded at the size of megacities--Tokyo with 37 million residents and Delhi with 22 million. That's a lot of hungry people with not a lot of land on which to grow food to feed them. The book is a wake-up call for changing current consumer practices.
March 12, 2021
Potatoes on Rooftops ensure food production in the city
Posted on March 12, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist
After a year of abstinence, this Southern California city girl is excited Big Brother might finally allow restaurants to open for inside dining. I didn’t even know “inside dining” was a term. It’s been a business-destroying year and has forced me to rethink the way I access food.
Sometimes I wish I was a toddler again, eating cereal out of a baggie in my car seat, banging my hands against my brother without retribution, and reading fun picture books designed to teach me about the big, bright, beautiful world. Or maybe it would be better to be a grade-schooler, eyes wide open to the wonderous universe of learning opportunities available.
Regardless, Potatoes on Rooftops, by Hadley Dyer, tops my menu of perfect reads.
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko, this informative picture book educates readers about non-traditional ways to enjoy city gardening. Potatoes on Rooftops provides readers with an overview of several already-established programs that teach local youth the fine art of creating a self-sustaining food-growing environment for themselves and generations that follow.
Dyer shares a Detroit high school program that teaches kids to grow food and raise chickens and a Tokyo bank vault that was converted into an underground greenhouse and a Nairobi local youth that turned a part of a slum into a garden to help feed local families.
This title is filled with gorgeous photos and illustrations and perfect for a school library. It is an excellent spring-board book for inspiring kids to learn the science of botany. This title is perfect for school club organizers who can use its model to help countless minds learn how to create self-sustaining environments for the future.
After all, you never know when the world is going to plunge into a pandemic and leave society without line cooks, indoor air-conditioned, plastic dining chairs, and all the soda our hearts desire on the counter behind our table.
Don’t tell anyone, but during the past six months in my region, an underground rope of culinary rebels hid their indoor dining so well during, they actually stayed in business. It was a prohibition for food. Wild. I never thought I’d be part of that rebellion. But, admittedly, I know that rope intimately.
BoutiquePublishingService@hotmail.com
BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2
Posted on March 12, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist
After a year of abstinence, this Southern California city girl is excited Big Brother might finally allow restaurants to open for inside dining. I didn’t even know “inside dining” was a term. It’s been a business-destroying year and has forced me to rethink the way I access food.
Sometimes I wish I was a toddler again, eating cereal out of a baggie in my car seat, banging my hands against my brother without retribution, and reading fun picture books designed to teach me about the big, bright, beautiful world. Or maybe it would be better to be a grade-schooler, eyes wide open to the wonderous universe of learning opportunities available.
Regardless, Potatoes on Rooftops, by Hadley Dyer, tops my menu of perfect reads.
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko, this informative picture book educates readers about non-traditional ways to enjoy city gardening. Potatoes on Rooftops provides readers with an overview of several already-established programs that teach local youth the fine art of creating a self-sustaining food-growing environment for themselves and generations that follow.
Dyer shares a Detroit high school program that teaches kids to grow food and raise chickens and a Tokyo bank vault that was converted into an underground greenhouse and a Nairobi local youth that turned a part of a slum into a garden to help feed local families.
This title is filled with gorgeous photos and illustrations and perfect for a school library. It is an excellent spring-board book for inspiring kids to learn the science of botany. This title is perfect for school club organizers who can use its model to help countless minds learn how to create self-sustaining environments for the future.
After all, you never know when the world is going to plunge into a pandemic and leave society without line cooks, indoor air-conditioned, plastic dining chairs, and all the soda our hearts desire on the counter behind our table.
Don’t tell anyone, but during the past six months in my region, an underground rope of culinary rebels hid their indoor dining so well during, they actually stayed in business. It was a prohibition for food. Wild. I never thought I’d be part of that rebellion. But, admittedly, I know that rope intimately.
BoutiquePublishingService@hotmail.com
BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2
February 5, 2013
Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City
By Hadley Dyer
Published by Annick Press
Copyright © 2012
“More than a billion people survive on $1.25 per day or less,” thus hunger is still a big problem throughout the world. Even in the United States hunger is still a problem for millions of people. Many poor people throughout the world move to the city to make a better living, but what they find is that comparably they are still not making enough money and now they are farther from the good food sources of the countryside. Cities can be fun and exciting places to be, but they can be devoid of fresh, nutritious, and affordable food for many of us. That doesn’t have to be the case though.
“Potatoes on Rooftops” shows us how people of all ages around the world are using urban spaces to successfully grow great food from fruits and vegetables to chickens and fish. They are doing this on rooftops, window sills, empty city lots, and backyards. Urban farming not only helps feed people (often those in need), but also gives its participants a sense of pride and accomplishment.
This book is not a gardening/livestock instructional guide. It is a book of great ideas on how to make urban spaces greener and more useful. While the focus is mostly on the inner city, the ideas transfer well to small towns and the countryside where there are still many people who don’t own a lot of land, because among the important things it demonstrates is how to use limited space effectively. What I like most about this book, of course, is that it is directed at a younger reader. You are never too young to grow your own food as the text and illustrations in this book depict. You can make a difference in your family’s, and even your community’s, food supply and health.
I highly recommend “Potatoes on Rooftops” for middle school students and teachers. There is a lot to learn from reading and applying this book about environmental science, math, and even social studies.
By Hadley Dyer
Published by Annick Press
Copyright © 2012
“More than a billion people survive on $1.25 per day or less,” thus hunger is still a big problem throughout the world. Even in the United States hunger is still a problem for millions of people. Many poor people throughout the world move to the city to make a better living, but what they find is that comparably they are still not making enough money and now they are farther from the good food sources of the countryside. Cities can be fun and exciting places to be, but they can be devoid of fresh, nutritious, and affordable food for many of us. That doesn’t have to be the case though.
“Potatoes on Rooftops” shows us how people of all ages around the world are using urban spaces to successfully grow great food from fruits and vegetables to chickens and fish. They are doing this on rooftops, window sills, empty city lots, and backyards. Urban farming not only helps feed people (often those in need), but also gives its participants a sense of pride and accomplishment.
This book is not a gardening/livestock instructional guide. It is a book of great ideas on how to make urban spaces greener and more useful. While the focus is mostly on the inner city, the ideas transfer well to small towns and the countryside where there are still many people who don’t own a lot of land, because among the important things it demonstrates is how to use limited space effectively. What I like most about this book, of course, is that it is directed at a younger reader. You are never too young to grow your own food as the text and illustrations in this book depict. You can make a difference in your family’s, and even your community’s, food supply and health.
I highly recommend “Potatoes on Rooftops” for middle school students and teachers. There is a lot to learn from reading and applying this book about environmental science, math, and even social studies.
May 30, 2013
Potatoes on Rooftops is a fabulous book for those interested in gardening on a small scale or wanting to garden in a city or urban setting. There are a lot of great ideas to inspire one to do their part in helping the environment and their community. Sometimes you don't think about what your food goes through before you get it from the grocery store. It is good to be reminded and to know that with fairly minimal cost and effort anyone can grow their own herbs and vegetables which will improve their surroundings in many ways.
I read a digital version via NetGalley as well as the print version.
I read a digital version via NetGalley as well as the print version.
May 30, 2015
Excellent informational book on the topic of urban gardening . Designed for upper elementary and middle school audiences, it has a lot of information packed into its 80 pages. Very well illustrated with photos and factoids, the style never feels too busy and the book maintains a narrative flow from general explanation to history to examples and techniques from around the world. The author always relates the subject back to altered human life patterns and the need to mitigate both hunger and climate change. Recommended.
May 14, 2013
"Potatoes on Rooftops" is an excellent overview of the urban farming movement. Dyer discusses urban farming around the world, a brief history, the need and benefits of urban farmings on big cities and how everyone can make a difference no matter how small of a space one has to work with. The book is very informative, an interesting read, and visually appealing. Kids and adults alike will enjoy it. This will be an excellent addition to any collection.
September 20, 2013
This was a great book with practical tips NOT just for urban gardening, but for any small-scale projects that kids might want to try. I admit that I was already on board with many of the ideas already, I just need a group of dedicated students here at OAMS to help jump-start the movement! Anyone want to have a little orchard in the courtyard?? Let's try it!!
January 20, 2013
Not just for kids. A great overview of urban farming.
March 21, 2013
Good information and attractive design. The organization is a bit confusing.
June 4, 2014
I picked this up at the library to read with the kids, but I found it quite interesting Some great tips and suggestions for expanding my gardening on my own backyard.
August 15, 2014
good graphics.Read because of being on community read for this fall. If a kid lives in the city and has no clue where food comes from then it should get them thinking.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews