Take a look at this interview with Fleischman, and learn all about his young days as a budding writer. We guarantee it'll get you wanting more.įleischman wasn't making it up: community gardening is actually a pretty big deal in Cleveland. Haven't picked up your own copy of Seedfolks yet? Well take a look at the first story here. Like in a teeny tiny lima bean.Ĭheck out Paul Fleischman's website and get caught up on the author's latest writings. Seedfolks has us remembering that it can be tough to find community, but sometimes we'll find it where we least expect it. And before you know it, these folks have such a sweet community that we're feeling all mushy inside. Once neighbors start growing plants side by side, then they get to know each other. In fact, for years, tons of the neighbors who live by Gibb Street don't even know each other's names.īut when one little girl decides to plant some lima beans, she changes the whole neighborhood for good. Yep, even in a big city like Cleveland, the characters in Seedfolks have a tough time finding a group of people they can call their community. You know who else has struggled to find community? The characters in Seedfolks, that's who. Or maybe you're starting a new school year and you're worried about fitting in. Perhaps you've moved to a brand new city and had trouble finding new chums. Nope-it can actually be super tough to find your place. It's great to feel like you belong somewhere, don't you think? But here's the rub: community sure isn't easy to come by. What is Seedfolks About and Why Should I Care? After all, it's a good read and gives us the key to world peace. The good news? Things are about to change when a handful of neighbors take over a vacant lot and start up a community garden.Įver since Fleischman published Seedfolks in 1997, it's been a super popular book-it was even nominated for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. So the bad news is that our characters have a lot of issues to overcome. We're talking prejudice, racism, the whole nine yards. So here's the deal: Seedfolks takes us to a neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio where, well, let's just say not everyone gets along. In his novel Seedfolks, we've got a garden that's bringing people together like whoa.

Wait, a garden? Like some soil and some flowers? Whatever the issue, Paul Fleischman is here to give us a solution to our problem: a garden. Sometimes it's a small thing, like a brawl with your sibling over who finished the ice cream (obviously it was your sibling.) And sometimes it's much, much bigger. We're not trying to bum you out, but it's true: life is full of disagreements. We've got a question for you, Shmoopers, and this one's a doozy: why can't we all just get along?

Seedfolks by paul fleischman