Avocado Magic
Avocado seeds and slow growing! A young girl’s impatience turns to wonder as she and her avocado tree gradually change and grow in this story inspired by Israeli artist Taltal Levi’s childhood.
Ellie is sulking—she celebrated her birthday yesterday under the old avocado tree. But she’s not even a little bit taller today! Dad tells Ellie a secret. She is like the pit of an avocado, he explains, small and full of magic. Together they put an avocado seed in a glass of water by the window and watch as both Ellie and her avocado plant grow, take root, and eventually bring new life.
In Taltal Levi’s native country Israel, avocados are ubiquitous and plucked straight from the tree. In her third book, Taltal Levi uses warm, earthy colors to tell a personal yet universal story about the magic of growth.
Includes instructions for growing your own avocado tree!
Read our interview “Growing a Picture Book” with Taltal Levi.
Illustrations, with hues alternating between earthy and a green/yellow palette, underscore themes of growth and change and are replete with whimsical details to delight eagle-eyed readers! [...]A poignant and lovely volume, this one is recommended for all collections.
School Library Journal
First published in Switzerland, this colorfully illustrated picture book is equally expressive in portraying Ellie's high hopes and her deep disappointment. Kids can observe her growth and changes in her life in the colorful illustrations.
Booklist
The story will be meaningful for adults and children alike, a lesson on both the day-to-day steadiness of growth and the overwhelming speed with which life moves forward. Serving as a touchpoint for Ellie and readers, a rhyming refrain emphasizes that change takes time. The soft illustrations convey a sense of growth through luscious greens and other bright hues. The careful blending of colors makes the images feel warm and alive. . . A tender and cozy tribute to the magic of growing up.
Kirkus Reviews
may just have parents shedding a tear or two when they think of their kids growing up and leaving the nest someday!
DC Canada Education Publishing
It’s not everyday that a book makes me cry. This is one of them. I was initially drawn to the illustrations, which are beautiful, and the fact that it’s about avocados, my favorite. But the story is what really hooked me. It’s about a little girl named Ellie, who is impatient to grow. Through growing her own avocado plant she learns patience. I definitely just pre-ordered it as I need it to be a part of my library.
Chelsea G., Seattle Public Schools
