Jayden’s Impossible Garden

Jayden and a new friend bring nature to the city in this timeless story about a community garden.

Amidst the buildings, people, and traffic in his neighborhood, Jayden sees nature everywhere—the squirrels scrounging, the cardinals calling, and the dandelions growing through cracks in the pavement. But Mama doesn’t believe there is nature in the city. Determined to change her mind, Jayden sets out to help her see what he sees.

With the help of his friend Mr. Curtis, Jayden plants the seeds of a community garden, bringing together neighbors—and Mama—to discover the beauty and magic of nature thriving in the heart of the city.

Timeless and vibrant, this story celebrates intergenerational relationships, imagination, and perseverance as tools for transformation. Jayden’s vision inspires his community to see their environment as full of possibility, growth, and connection.

At the back of the book, readers will find activities inspired by the story, including instructions for making a milk jug bird feeder.

Jayden’s Impossible Garden is the winner of the 2019 African American Voices in Children’s Literature writing contest, cosponsored by Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing; recipient of the 2021 Foreword INDIES Honorable Mention (Picture Books, Early Reader); and named one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year 2022 by The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education.