A child plants a tiny seed and wonders what secrets it might hold.
As it grows and grows and grows, she nurtures the little plant until it isnt so little anymorein fact, its COLOSSAL. What does one do with a colossal cabbage? The girl dreams that the cabbage feeds a soup kitchen full of neighbors, inspiring her to grow more veggies to share with her community, inspiring kids and families all over the country to grow veggies to share with their own communities. And when she wakes up, she is ready let the world in on the cabbages colossal secret.
Inspired by the true story of Katie Stagliano, her forty-pound cabbage, and the nonprofit Katies Krops. Backmatter includes ways for readers to start their own sharing garden.
Karen M. Greenwald is the author of Mud Angels and A Vote for Susanna, which was a Kansas 2022 Notable Book and represented Kansas at the Library of Congress National Book Festival and in the Great Reads from Great Places initiative. She cofounded the #SunWriteFun writing contest, which raises money for kidlit charities, and her strategic branding efforts have earned seventeen international awards, including a Platinum International Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award in 2023. Karen shares her Maryland office with a very noisy dog.
Alejandra Ruiz is an illustrator of picture books and visual storyteller. Stories have always been a window to the world for her, helping her build empathy and construct imaginary worlds to escape to when things felt too much. Now, as an adult, she's honored to give those stories images. She illustrates stories hoping to build empathy in others and to help children find an infinite love for reading. She lives in Bogotá, Colombia with her boyfriend, two cats, and a whole lot of plants. When she's not working, you can find her reading, cooking, or baking bread.
