From Follett Titlewave:

Golodetz, Virginia. "The Gardener (Book Review)." School Library Journal. (1997) 29 Oct 2009

"The Gardener (Book Review)." Booklist 93:19/20 (1997) 29 Oct 2009

"The Gardener (Book Review)." Kirkus Review (1997) 29 Oct 2009

http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID... ( )

The Gardener is written in the form of letters throughout the book. This picture book is based during the time period of the Great Depression and the affect it had on one type of person's lifestyle during that era ( )

I love this book! The illustrations are beautiful, the story is wonderful. Great to open the door of dicussion with younger readers on the Great Depression. What life must have been like....etc. The characters are so real.

Little Lydia Grace Finch has to move from the country to live in the big city with her Uncle. The book is written in the form of letters back home to Mama, Papa, and Grandma. Lydia finds the city dark and gray but with the help of seeds sent from home, she begins to bring color to everything around her. As her flowers bloom, the pages of the book get more colorful and Lydia soon becomes know as "the gardener." By the end of the book, she has transformed her secret place--the rooftop of her apartment building--into a beautiful flower garden. This is a great story and Lydia emerges as a wonderful heroine who does so much with the tiny seeds.

This is a story told in letters from Lydia Grace to her family. It is set during the Depression and tells the story of the relationship that formed between Lydia and her Uncle.