The Weedflower

Sam, a little girl with sunshine yellow hair, spots a dandelion sprouting in her school’s playground. Instantly intrigued, she can’t take her eyes off the “tiny flower bud” and marvels at how it “impossibly” breaks through the grey concrete. The child lovingly tends to her “alien bud” and sows seeds of kindness by singing to it and expressing affection.

When the “bright, yellow flower” blooms into gigantic Jack in the Beanstalk-sized proportions, it catches the interest of other students. Lying on their stomachs, the kids fan out around the weedflower and soak up the sunny sight. The children collectively care for the yellow blossom which thrives and grows bigger and bigger on every page.

In Montreal illustrator Marianne Ferrer’s delicate watercolour artwork, the bright bloom brightens the dark corners of the schoolyard. Sam and her classmates, donning cool shades and tough, cross-armed stances, act as the weedflower’s bodyguard, protecting it from harm, including an inquisitive squirrel.

The children look at the flourishing flower (which is never referred to as a dandelion) and see magical qualities worth defending. Over time, the blossom changes into a “dreamy fluffball” with “soft white fuzz, delicate as fairy dust.” The delighted kids are “dizzy with wishes.” However, the adults, who finally take notice, are not impressed. When a custodian is dispatched to remove the huge fluffball, upset students watch in dismay from a classroom window, holding up signs (“NOT A WEED”, “SAVE THE FLOWER”), and waving their arms in protest.

With the weedflower’s roots holding strong, the adults engage in a spirited tug-of-war. Although the fluffball is finally pulled out and eventually floats away in the breeze, its legacy lives on: “in early September, one hundred tiny buds sprouted, impossibly, between the schoolyard’s cement and rubber turf.”

This uplifting, tall-tale infused picture book celebrates sources of natural joy so close at hand, yet so easily overlooked. The Weedflower seeds discussion on many themes including empathy, perspective and resilience.