Sidewalk Flowers

JonArno Lawson, Sydney Smith (2015), Groundwood Books

A young girl in a red coat walks around town with her busy father. She notices beautiful flowers growing everywhere and begins to gather them, leaving them behind in unassuming places and with unsuspecting characters. The flowers—the only things that appear in color (other than the red coat)—bring beauty and light to everything they touch. As they continue their walking journey and the girl leaves her flower gifts behind, the neighborhood slowly transforms into a brightly-colored, re-energized space where neighbors wave, animals play, and her parents embrace in love. Sometimes it’s the small things that lead to big change.

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Talk with a child about this book

How did the little girl find the flowers?

Why do you think some people did not see the flowers, but the little girl did?

What is one way that the little girl was kind in this story?

Why do you think the flowers made people happy?

As the little girl left flowers with more and more people, the colors began to change the whole town. What is one small thing you’ve done for someone that maybe had a big impact?