Sidewalk Flowers

Sidewalk Flowers written by JonArno Lawson and illustrated by Sydney Smith (2015)

In this wordless picture book, a little girl in red walks home through the city with her father. All the while her father is busy talking on his cell phone or hurrying through the streets, the little girl notices the wildflowers growing between the cracks of the city sidewalks and along the brick buildings and lamp posts. The more flowers she picks the more color is added to the black and white pictures. From the looks on all the other people’s faces, only the girl sees the colors and the beauty around her. And then as they cut through a park, she notices a dead bird lying on the sidewalk. The girl leaves a small bouquet on the bird’s belly. Later she leaves another small bouquet at the feet of a man sleeping on a park bench, and in the collar of a dog she meets along the way. And the rest of the flowers she leaves in her mother’s, little brother’s, and baby sister’s hair when she gets home. The final daisy, she puts in her own hair.

Enjoy this book with your children. You’ll be amazed at what details they see that you might have missed and at how much more you will see on the second or third reading.

Talk a walk together. Encourage your child to notice details in your own neighborhood. And really listen as they talk.

 Remember making flower chains when you were a kid?

Make a flower crown. 

Don’t forget to save a few for the dinner table.