2023 Longwood Gardens Community Read
A Celebration of Foodways and Culture
Longwood Gardens joins local libraries and community partners for the tenth year of the Longwood Gardens’ Community Read – a program designed to encourage reading for pleasure and start a conversation.
In 2023, we’re encouraging our Community Readers to explore the concept of food as a connector.
- The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food - Joseph Tychonievich, Illustrated by Liz Anna Kozik
- Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis (young readers) - By Robbin Gourley
- Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora - Edited and curated by Bryant Terry
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food
In this graphic novel guide discover how to grow a successful vegetable garden, from planning, prepping, and planting to troubleshooting, care, and harvesting. This engaging selection is the story of Mia, an eager young professional who wants to grow her own vegetables but doesn’t know where to start, and George, her retired neighbor-turned-gardening-mentor who walks her through each step of the process. This is a terrific supplement to the adult title and will help eager adult learners begin to explore growing food themselves.
Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis
In this picture book for our youngest readers, trace the childhood roots of this revered chef’s appreciation for the bounties of nature as Edna and her family gather fruits, berries, and vegetables from their Virginia farm and turn them into wonderful meals. The book includes facts about the life of Edna Lewis, a descendant of slaves who grew up to be a famous chef, and five kid-friendly recipes.
Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora
An exuberant celebration of foodways and culture, Black Food is a beautiful, fun read of powerful essays, stunning visual art, and delicious recipes focusing on the culinary histories of the African diaspora. As shared by Terry, “like Black people, this book contains multitudes.” With recipes as the through line, discover expert cooking insight, inspiration, and stories as told by brilliant chefs in this thought-provoking selection that explores themes from spirit to migrations to Black future.
Read and discuss these books with your friends and family, attend a library program, or sign up for an online program with Longwood Gardens this April using the links below!
Our award-winning Community Read brings books and people together to spur discussion about an important idea or topic.
