The Gardener

Stewart, S. (1997). The gardener. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

         Lydia Grace Finch brings a suitcase full of seeds to the big gray city, where she goes to stay with her Uncle Jim, a baker. There she slowly transforms the shop, planting a few seeds at a time. But she plants most of her seeds in a secret place, the rooftop. She hopes this garden will make even sad Uncle Jim smile. The story is heartwarming, and shows that small gestures mean so much. They meant even more in this story, set in the Depression-era.