A MAGICIAN'S FLOWER

A sweet Finnish tale of a flower in need of just a little reassurance.

Working in the greenhouse, Willow discovers a tiny seedling in a neglected pot. After Willow’s friend Aspen comes over, the two name the plant Raisin after one of the heroes in Aspen’s epic poem. With Willow’s chicken Eulalia in tow, the two attempt to coax Raisin into growing taller; they take her to the seashore, offer her both sunlight and moonlight, and ultimately reassure her that she can remain little if she wishes to. “I don’t think you need to grow at all,” says Willow. “Can’t you grow to be small, the same way you can grow to be big?” Only then, the next day, does Raisin bloom, and the kids discover that the plant is a magician’s flower. Per a book from Aspen’s great-grandmother: “It is said that magicians are the only ones who can create the right conditions for the flower to bloom.” This brief yet delightful adventure is low on drama; the most dire occurrence is a dog eating someone’s fallen ice cream. Alongside loose gouache illustrations, the text truly becomes the star of the show, as when readers learn that “a small, clear voice [is] far more impressive than a loud, bombastic one.” Willow is brown-skinned; Aspen is pale-skinned.

A gentle reminder that gardening and friendship possess their own kind of magic.