The Gardener

I am inspired by this lovely story! When Lydia Grace finds herself going to the city to live with her grumpy uncle during hard times, she seeks to find a way to make him smile. Having had a few ‘challenging people’ in my own life who I tried to cajole out of their funky moods, I love how her indomitable spirit and love of gardening cheers those around her, all while she makes a wonderful surprise out of the very little that she has. It shows that beauty can be found – or planted – in the most unexpected places.

Told through letters Lydia Grace writes home to her family, this is the story of a girl sent from the family farm to stay with her uncle in the city during the Depression. Lydia Grace’s Uncle Jim never smiles, but the flower seeds Lydia brings with her and plants bring smiles to other people’s faces. On the rooftop of the building, Lydia Grace plants a secret garden that, when her uncle sees it, brings a smile even to his face. The final art shows that even an unsmiling Uncle Jim has loved his niece all along.