When young Holly Evans decides to launch vegetable seedlings into the sky via balloon, she isn't quite sure what to expect from her unusual science experiment. Thus begins June 29th, 1999 by David Wiesner, a quirky, imaginative and wholly delightful picture book that boasts a plot and pictures that have a little something for everyone.
Holly does indeed send her seedlings skyward and some weeks later, on June 29th, the world begins to experience what may be the results. When giant vegetables begin falling to earth, Holly wonders if her humble experiment could possibly be responsible for such an unexpected phenomenon. But, when city parks and town squares begin to be blanketed by humungous vegetables that Holly knows she didn't plant for her experiment, she isn't sure quite what to think. We are treated to a glimpse of the true origin of the enormous foodstuffs, and it provides a fun plot twist that ends the book with a perfect sense of improbability and humor.
One of the best things about this book is the incredibly expressive illustrations. The pictures themselves really could tell this story wordlessly, and you get the feeling that looking at them tells you just as much as the text. A bit of well-placed alliteration, a tongue-in-cheek credulity and the unexpected ending make this book a true gem. You really haven't read anything quite like this one.
But you should.
