Seedfolks
Encyclopedia
Seedfolks is a short children's novel written by Paul Fleischman
, with illustrations by Judy Pedersen. The story is told by a diverse cast of characters living on (or near) Gibb Street in Cleveland
, Ohio, each from a different ethnic group
. Chapter by chapter, each character describes the transformation of an empty lot into a vibrant community garden, and in doing so, they each experience their own transformations.
girl, decides to plant six Lima bean
seeds in a vacant lot in remembrance of her deceased father, a farmer, she also has two sisters. She visits every day to see the progress. Ana, an older Romanian
woman sees Kim bury something, and quickly assumes Kim is doing something illegal. Ana digs up the seeds in the vacant lot. Upon discovery of the Lima seeds, she feels sorry and replants them. Wendell, a man in the community, is told by Ana that Kim planted the seeds, and they are dying since Kim planted the seeds in the wrong season, so he decides to watch over them while creating a small garden of his own in the space. Gonzalo, a Guatemalan teenager, and his uncle, Tio Juan, also add to the garden. Juan was a farmer in Guatemala
and finally finds a place he feels comfortable in the garden. Juan helps others with their gardens as Gonzalo acts as an interpreter. Sam is a 78 year old man who was nice to everyone, and started a contest to solve the problem of water reaching the gardens. Leona also sees the progress of the garden but dislikes all the garbage. She complains to the government, and finds out that the lot is owned by the city. Curtis plants tomatoes to win the heart of a former girlfriend, Lateesha. Curtis planted it outside the fence and becomes very protective of the garden after some of his tomatoes are stolen. Sae Young owned a drycleaning shop until she was brutally beaten during a robbery. Soon she becomes fearful of people. She would never go out of her house and would have everything delivered. When she goes to the garden, she gets help from Sam to cope with her fear of people and begins to feel safer around people. Nora is a nurse who takes care of a man in a wheelchair, Mr. Myles, and as they walk by the garden, Mr. Myles gets excited when walking by the garden and Nora convinces him to join in planting something. Maricela, a pregnant teen, visits the garden with the persuasion of Penny. Maricela is part of a pregnant teen group and Penny is the leader. Maricela does not like the idea of the garden, but changes her mind and becomes more open to the idea of parenthood by watching nature grow. Amir owns a fabric store, he decides to plant eggplant and carrots in the garden. In the garden he meets up with someone who had insulted him in his store, and they become friends. He also assists in the arrest of a robber. Florence loves the garden but she can not participate because of arthritis
in her wrists. She watches the garden change, and becomes upset when nobody is there for the fall and winter. She fears that nobody will come back the following year, but the story comes full circle when she sees Kim planting Lima beans in early spring again.
Paul Fleischman
Paul Fleischman is an American author of children's books. Both he and his father, children's author Sid Fleischman, have won the Newbery Medal. Paul is the 2012 US author nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award.-Early life:...
, with illustrations by Judy Pedersen. The story is told by a diverse cast of characters living on (or near) Gibb Street in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio, each from a different ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
. Chapter by chapter, each character describes the transformation of an empty lot into a vibrant community garden, and in doing so, they each experience their own transformations.
Plot summary
Kim, a nine year old VietnameseVietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
girl, decides to plant six Lima bean
Lima bean
Phaseolus lunatus is a legume. It is grown for its seed, which is eaten as a vegetable. It is commonly known as the lima bean or butter bean.-Origin and uses:...
seeds in a vacant lot in remembrance of her deceased father, a farmer, she also has two sisters. She visits every day to see the progress. Ana, an older Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
woman sees Kim bury something, and quickly assumes Kim is doing something illegal. Ana digs up the seeds in the vacant lot. Upon discovery of the Lima seeds, she feels sorry and replants them. Wendell, a man in the community, is told by Ana that Kim planted the seeds, and they are dying since Kim planted the seeds in the wrong season, so he decides to watch over them while creating a small garden of his own in the space. Gonzalo, a Guatemalan teenager, and his uncle, Tio Juan, also add to the garden. Juan was a farmer in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and finally finds a place he feels comfortable in the garden. Juan helps others with their gardens as Gonzalo acts as an interpreter. Sam is a 78 year old man who was nice to everyone, and started a contest to solve the problem of water reaching the gardens. Leona also sees the progress of the garden but dislikes all the garbage. She complains to the government, and finds out that the lot is owned by the city. Curtis plants tomatoes to win the heart of a former girlfriend, Lateesha. Curtis planted it outside the fence and becomes very protective of the garden after some of his tomatoes are stolen. Sae Young owned a drycleaning shop until she was brutally beaten during a robbery. Soon she becomes fearful of people. She would never go out of her house and would have everything delivered. When she goes to the garden, she gets help from Sam to cope with her fear of people and begins to feel safer around people. Nora is a nurse who takes care of a man in a wheelchair, Mr. Myles, and as they walk by the garden, Mr. Myles gets excited when walking by the garden and Nora convinces him to join in planting something. Maricela, a pregnant teen, visits the garden with the persuasion of Penny. Maricela is part of a pregnant teen group and Penny is the leader. Maricela does not like the idea of the garden, but changes her mind and becomes more open to the idea of parenthood by watching nature grow. Amir owns a fabric store, he decides to plant eggplant and carrots in the garden. In the garden he meets up with someone who had insulted him in his store, and they become friends. He also assists in the arrest of a robber. Florence loves the garden but she can not participate because of arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
in her wrists. She watches the garden change, and becomes upset when nobody is there for the fall and winter. She fears that nobody will come back the following year, but the story comes full circle when she sees Kim planting Lima beans in early spring again.
Characters
The characters consist of...- Kim
- Ana
- Wendell
- Gonzalo
- Leona
- Sam
- Virgil
- Sae Young
- Curtis
- Nora
- Maricela
- Amir
- Florence
- Mr.Myles
- Royce
Awards and recognitions
- ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1998)
- Buckeye Children's Book Award (1999), Grades 6-8
- Marathon County READS | Featured Book (2010)
- Chosen as state and citywide read in communities across the country:
- Vermont
- Racine, WI
- Tampa, FL
- Newburgh, NY
- Boca Raton, FL
- Baltimore, MD
- Won the Sydney Hess Fictional Shirt Design Award in 1999
External links
- Paul Fleischman's (author) website
- http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Seedfolks/?isbn=9780064472074