The Promise ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Promise by Nicola Davies

The Promise
By Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Laura Carlin
(Candlewick Press, 2013)

A young girl lived in a dead city. Gray, lifeless, hard, concrete, no plants. To survive, she had to steal. Her heart was as hard as the city.

But one night, the girl tried to steal a nice, fat bag from a woman who walked all alone down the street. The woman resisted long enough to make the girl "promise" to plant all of them.

All of them turned out to be not food and money as she had supposed, but an entire forest in a bag!

The girl kept her promise and wandered the city, planting acorns as she went. Slowly, as the trees sprouted and grew, the city was transformed. So was the girl.

The Promise is a story about hope. It is also about the healing properties of nature on green-less areas. Readers will be encouraged to enjoy the green in their lives and seek to add more where there is none.

KID KANDY:
Plant a Seed

Materials: seeds, trowel or spade, water

1. There are so many seeds. You could choose any type you want to plant. Just consider if you want plants that grow quickly (flowers, vegetables, grasses) or those that take years to mature (trees, bushes).

2. Find the perfect location. Dig a little hole and add seeds (or seed). Cover with soil and water.

3. Watch and wait.

While you are waiting, ask an adult to help you check the the Arbor Day Foundation (Arbor Day Foundation). This group loves to plant trees and educate families about the importance of trees. I am a member and each year when I pay my dues, I can ask for baby trees. Right now I have several that are ready to be planted in the ground. Yay!