THE GIVING FLOWER

A flower’s history links Mexico and the United States.

The poinsettia, originally a wildflower that grew in Mexico, has had many names. The Nahuas called it cuetlaxochitl, or “mortal flower that withers, like all that is pure.” When Spanish friars arrived in Mexico and encountered the flower, a legend rose about “Pepita, a poor mestiza girl with a giving heart,” who was mocked for placing weeds in a Nativity scene until its flowers burst forth, giving it the name flor de nochebuena, or “flower of the holy night.” It was renamed the poinsettia when an American ambassador and botanist, Joel Roberts Poinsett, visited Mexico and sent clippings of the plant back to the United States. Dobbs’ narration alternates awkwardly between printed narration and italicized poetry that ends with the refrain “You just wait and see.” The implied suspense, however, doesn’t manifest. What are we waiting to see? The latter half of the book focuses on the poinsettia’s ubiquitous holiday appearance in American culture from the White House to TV talk shows. Eventually Dobbs encourages readers to find beauty, “then give it back to the world”—a perfectly lovely sentiment that reads like an afterthought. The digital illustrations, showcased as full-page spreads in between the text, have a cartoonish character that feels a bit at odds with the solemnity of the story.

An intriguing idea that doesn’t quite come together.