The Gardener

Picture book, 40 pages. Published in 1997 by Square Fish. 1997 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 1998 Caldecott Honor Book.

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The Wonder of Flowers

The Gardener is one of my all time favorite picture books!  And perfect for learning how Lydia Grace encourages her family and friends with plants and letters during the Great Depression.

Lydia Grace Finch must leave her family to stay with her cranky Uncle Jim and work in his bakery in the city. But she takes a suitcase full of seeds and bit by bit transforms the shop, customers' smiles and her Uncle!  The power of a packet of flower seeds and a hard-working, determined heroine is wondrous.  I used to read this story repeatedly to my children and my daughters remember it fondly to this day.

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Ideas for Making It Real

Making this story real with your children is fun! 

• First, take your kiddos to a local nursery, farm store, or hardware store to pick their own package of flower seeds.  Help them to choose something appropriate for a porch, patio or window in your house or apartment. 
  
• Next, get an equally appropriate flower pot - check with your local Buy Nothing or bartering groups to see if someone as just the thing to pass along.
  
• Finally, you will need some soil; purchasing potting soil will most likely be the greatest expense in this activity....
  

Once you have all three, follow the directions on the seed package. Voila! In a few days you should have starts and within weeks a few flower buds!

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