#416 of 1001 · September 20, 2021

There’s a gently meditative quality to be found in Grandmother Thorn by @kidlitlove and @rebecca__hahn. This original tale opens in the fictional Shizuka village, a place of natural beauty and tranquility. Outside her house, Grandmother Thorn maintains a dry landscape garden, working diligently to rake the gravel and clip the trees and harshly rebuking anyone who disturbs her. Only one person meets with her approval: an old man known as Ojiisan (which translates to “grandfather”), who often brings sweets from the village and sits down with her to share a cup of tea. When a careless merchant drops a stray berry into Grandmother Thorn’s garden, a stubborn plant begins to sprout; no matter how hard she tries, she cannot rip it from the earth. As much from frustration as exhaustion, she falls ill. After a long rest, she returns to find that Ojiisan has cared for the garden in her absence. He presents her with the fruit of the little seedling, and Grandmother Thorn accepts it as a symbol of both his love and the value of serenity. Howes creates a distinctive parable, centered as it is on the quiet relationship between two elderly characters—a rarity in modern picture books. Hahn’s soothing hand-painted and -sewn collage art neatly and respectfully evokes the Japanese cultural setting of the work. #grandmother #rock #garden #berry #berries #seed #plant #japan #japanese #friend #friends #friendship #book #books #childrensbooks #picturebook #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks