Saving Delicia: A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams

by Laura Gehl, Patricia Metola (Illustrator)

Overview

When the last delicia tree is in danger of extinction, a young girl creates a seed bank as a surprise for Old Otis, whose stories have inspired her.

Kari’s favorite parts of summer are eating juicy fruit from the delicia tree and listening to stories from Old Otis. But now the last remaining delicia is in danger. What if this beloved tree dies out? Is there anything one girl can do? With inspiration, information, and a pocketful of seeds, Kari sets out to craft a surprise for Otis—and for the future.

This tender story celebrates the connections between generations, emphasizing that small steps can have a big impact when one looks beyond the present. An author’s note about seed banks around the world is included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947888449
Publisher:	Presbyterian Publishing
Publication date:	04/09/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	784,225
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Laura Gehl is the author of Grandpa's Window and Apple and Magnolia as well as many other popular and acclaimed children's books. Apple & Magnolia received three starred reviews and was named a best book of 2022 by Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Patricia Metola is the illustrator of more than twenty books in Europe and the United States. Her artwork for Laura Gehl’s Apple and Magnolia was called “exuberant” by Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Madrid, Spain.

Editorial Reviews

"This uplifting, economically told tale is about hope and how one generation inspires another; it reassuringly reminds children that they can improve the world." - Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-01-20
Maintaining Earth’s biodiversity, one seed at a time.

Young Kari basks in the delicia tree’s shade. Old Otis tells her that when he was young, the trees grew everywhere. Kari can’t imagine such abundance. Now there’s only one delicia tree; every summer, townsfolk share its fruit. After Kari’s family finishes their portion, she saves the seeds. She asks Otis about planting them to grow more trees. He explains that a blight destroyed the old ones. There’s no cure, so it would kill new plantings, including the remaining tree. Undaunted, Kari develops a “Top Secret Project” to collect seeds and save them in Otis’ freezer. Months later, Kari reveals her surprise to Otis, with a sign over the freezer: “Kari and Otis’s Seed Bank.” He’s delighted, but, shortly after, he and the last delicia tree die. The following year, scientists discover a cure for the blight; Kari plants her seeds. The book ends with the adult Kari, sitting in a delicia orchard, regaling kids with stories about her childhood, when there was only one delicia tree. They can’t even imagine. This uplifting, economically told tale is about hope and how one generation inspires another; it reassuringly reminds children that they can improve the world. The colorful, appealingly childlike illustrations suit the straightforward narrative. Kari is pale-skinned, Otis is brown-skinned, and background kids are diverse.

This sweet story may very well plant seeds of inspiration in readers’ minds. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews