When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree

When grandma shows up to her granddaughter’s birthday not with an item on the wishlist—like a robot dog or a phone—but instead with a lemon tree, her granddaughter does her best to graciously accept the gift rather than let it float away with her birthday balloons. But like a wise master with an ambitious student, there’s more to sleepy grandma and her seemingly simple gift than originally expected. For as the granddaughter is dutiful in tending to the tree for a year—protecting it from snail invaders and keeping it warm—she begins to experience the satisfaction that comes from responsibility and persistence. And when her efforts are rewarded with a bountiful lemon harvest, grandma is back on hand to help her turn those lemons into money in the girl’s pocket so she can go buy all those gadgets herself. Except by the time she’s at the store, her year of tending to the tree has developed in her a refined love of nature, and readers will be pleasantly surprised by her purchase decisions, which bring together her community in a lovely neighborhood garden. Rocha’s thoughtful illustrations augment Deenihan’s beautiful debut text—attentive readers will note that even the young girl’s friends, who themselves received the tech items on the wishlist, abandon their gadgets for the satisfaction of connecting with nature and community in the garden. Urban dwellers will also appreciate Rocha’s accurate depictions of details of city living, like the young girl’s need to protect the tree from a malfunctioning hydrant.