Inspired by and dedicated to the late Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, for whom Boston's new Greenway park is named, Reynolds's (The Dot
) gentle story introduces an intrepid girl who sails the seas on an oversize teapot that she fills with seeds from the various locales she visits. Announcing “It is time to plant my garden,” Rose cruises into a port city, where she finds a “dusty, forgotten stretch of earth,” which she decides “needs some color.” After planting her seeds, she patiently waits—through four seasons—for flowers to bloom. As word of the girl's faith in her garden spreads, children from all over the globe appear “like seeds carried on a breeze,” and each presents Rose with a bright paper flower, bringing the first splashes of color to Reynolds's wispy, monochromatic art. Soon, Rose is rewarded as real flowers sprout among the paper ones, and her garden becomes “Everybody's garden.” The globe-trotting Rose clearly has an adventurous spirit and a strong sense of determination, and Reynolds's fable emphasizes that having faith (and patience) can pay off big. All ages. (Oct.)
