Good Things

July 15, 2023
After his father's sudden death, Malcolm must learn to deal with his grief. Malcolm loves caring for plants with Dad, especially Big Mon, Dad's monstera. Though Malcolm sometimes becomes impatient waiting for the plants to grow, Dad often says, "Good things taken time." After Dad dies, Malcolm inherits his plants. However, his overzealous watering causes Big Mon's bright green leaves to droop and yellow, mirroring the boy's feelings. Frustrated, he stops caring for the plants altogether and resigns himself to buying a new monstera. As he spends more time with his friends, he notices the plants beginning to grow once more. His willingness to give his plants--and himself--some time allows them all to feel better. Though this story deals with an important topic--the death of a parent--many readers will be distracted with questions, as the book never explains why Malcolm's father died. The warm-toned illustrations convey the loving relationship between Malcolm and his father as well as the boy's pain, but on one page, Dad notes how rare variegation is on a monstera leaf, but the image depicts several plants with variegation. The backmatter includes a helpful glossary of plant terms, though the entry for the snake plant offers the alternative name mother-in-law's tongue with the unfortunate misogynistic parenthetical note, "Don't worry, you'll understand why, one day." (This book was reviewed digitally.) A poignant tale of loss overshadowed by missteps. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 1, 2023

Gr 1-4-Pops always had a saying for everything, and Malcolm learns how true "good things take time" is when he has to care for Pop's houseplants after he dies. If houseplants were more of a standard picture book subject, the opening dialogue about them wouldn't feel so disorienting, but as it stands words and phrases such as "variegated" and "fenestrations" are not only unfamiliar, but don't have clear pictures to convey their meaning to picture book readers. Then, just as children begin to grasp that the book is about a houseplant-loving dad, it becomes a story of grief. The sense of belonging and community is strong in Harris's illustrations of this Black family and neighborhood, but the suddenness of Pops being "gone" (a picture of Malcolm in a suit and a hearse seen through the window is the clue he has died) without any explanation may leave readers confused and distracted. As much as books about death and grief are needed, this text underlines rather than undermines our cultural taboos against speaking of the topic forthrightly. Back matter includes a fun (and much needed) glossary that explains all of the plant words, but the joking tone is at odds with the rest of the book. VERDICT Poignant and helpful to specific readers and situations, this book is not generally recommended.-Hillary Perelyubskiy

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