THE GARDENER - Susan Kay Phillips

Written by Sarah Stewart Illustrated by David Small

Reviewed by Susan Kay Phillips

Whether we are gardeners or not we can feel the magic of flowers. Our picture book this month, Caldecott honor book THE GARDNER, lets the flowers weave their unstoppable magic through a tale of a steadfastly optimistic young gardener, Lydia Grace Finch.

Set in the mid 1930s, THE GARDENER is cleverly told entirely through letters written by Lydia Grace. On August 27, 1935, Lydia Grace writes her first letter to her Uncle Jim. “Grandma told us after supper that you want me to come to the city and live with you until things get better.” Lydia Grace writes on to tell that Papa has lost his job and no one calls asking Mama to make dresses anymore.

Lydia Grace takes a train alone from her rural homeland and arrives in a huge, caverness railway station in the city. She finds Uncle Jim by looking for someone who has “Mama’s face with a big nose and a mustache”. When they arrive together in front of Uncle Jim’s rather dilapidated looking bakery surrounded by busy streets and towering buildings, Lydia Grace is thrilled. The sun shines on Uncle Jim’s building and there are window boxes! Immediately the dedicated gardener in her sees flowers.

Lydia Grace finds that her Uncle Jim is kind but never smiles. Rather then being put off, Lydia Grace writes, “Uncle Jim isn’t smiling yet, but I’m hoping for a smile soon”. She befriends Ed and Emma Beech who work in the bakery. Emma teaches her how to knead and bake bread. In exchange, she teaches Emma the Latin names of all the flowers she is planting in every cracked and broken teacup and bent bread pan.

On March 5, 1936, Lydia Grace writes to Mama, Papa, and Grandma “I’ve discovered a secret place. You can’t imagine how wonderful it is. No one else knows about it but Otis (the bakery cat). I have great plans.” David Small masterfully captures the moment Lydia Grace first sees her “secret place”, the roof of the bakery building, with a striking two page spread. He shows the obstacles –the roof is littered with trash, an empty upside down bathtub and cast off boxes. But Lydia Grace doesn’t see that. As Small pictures her, she appears open and amazed at the possibility she has found. This rooftop is not a trash dump but a canvas for a gloriously beautiful secret place she sets about to create for Uncle Jim. Soon she has Emma and Otis helping, hauling rich dirt from a nearby vacant lot and planting seeds and bulbs galore.

The bakery also begins to transform. More customers come. They smile more. They begin to refer to Lydia Grace as “the gardener”.

On July 4, 1936, the secret place is ready to reveal to Uncle Jim. Lydia Grace, Emma, Ed, and Otis bring Uncle Jim up to the roof for a holiday picnic amid the countless containers of blooming flowers and greenery. Uncle Jim still doesn’t smile but Lydia Grace is not dissuaded. “I can already imagine Uncle Jim’s smile”.

Then on July 11, 1936, Uncle Jim surprises Lydia Grace, Ed, Emma, and Otis by calling them up to the rooftop garden. He presents Lydia Grace with a gorgeous cake covered in flowers and shares the news that Papa now has a job. Lydia Grace is going home. Although Uncle Jim still does not smile, Lydia Grace declares in a letter to Mama, Papa, and Grandma, “I truly believe that cake equals one thousand smiles”.

The last picture showing a bittersweet farewell at the train station clearly captures the deep love unsmiling Uncle Jim has for his courageous and optimistic young niece, Lydia Grace Finch, the Gardener.

Reviewers Note

It is estimated that fully twenty-five percent of employed people in the United States lost their jobs during the Great Depression. Some historians believe that the true percentage of unemployed was much higher, especially among people of color. And, of course, there was no social safety net.

People had lost their life savings. Homelessness increased. Those who were fortunate enough to be employed saw their wages drop. The situation was disparate for many families. In these circumstances, it was not unusual for children to be sent away from home to live with relatives who could better care for them as was the case with Lydia Grace in our story.

The wonderful 1930s detail incorporated into each picture by illustrator David Small gives the true feel of the time. In the bakery, the bread price is posted at five cents per loaf, muffins are two cents each. Hard to imagine now. A picture of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is prominently displayed in the bakery above a framed one dollar bill. The framed dollar bill is an interesting piece. It was common in the past for business owners to frame the first dollar that they earned as a symbol of their hard work. During the Great Depression, this custom was abandoned. Every dollar was needed. The presence of the framed dollar bill on the bakery wall is perhaps a hint of underlying optimism in unsmiling Uncle Jim.

Lydia Grace brought optimism and openness to Uncle Jim’s bakery. It touched and hearted everyone Lydia Grace met. Even unsmiling and cantankerous Uncle Jim softened.

Look for Lydia Grace in these times. I am sure she is out there planting flowers and planning surprises.

As always, thank you for reading!

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