"Once, in a big city, in a bustling neighborhood..." an empty lot full of trash sat across the street from a school. The city was New York, the school was P.S. 175, and Mr. Tony was a volunteer at the school. Mr. Tony looked at the lot, and the kids, and saw a problem he wanted to fix and possibility he wanted to inspire. Mr. Tony, who is African American, spearheaded the effort to transform the garbage-strewn lot into the Harlem Grown community garden, involving the kids from the school and others from the community. This lively account by Tony Hillery (aka "Mr. Tony") of the Harlem Grown garden project he started and still leads today is paired with sprightly, stylized illustrations. An afterward from Tony Hillery tells more about the project, including how little he know about gardening when he began, and how large it's grown since then (12 sites across Harlem). There is also information on how to "Start a Garden Anywhere." (Ages 6-9)