Benjamin Grows a Garden

Written by Melanie Florence

Illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0321-0

40 pp.

Ages 3–7

September 2025

 

Melanie Florence introduced us to Benjamin in Benjamin's Thunderstorm (2023), also illustrated by Hawlii Pichette, and we got to know the little boy who learns more about his Cree culture and language while partaking in ordinary activities like playing in the rain and listening to the thunder. By making connections with his Indigenous heritage, Benjamin's experiences are far richer and more meaningful. This time, in Benjamin Grows a Garden, it is spring, and the boy is back outside and enjoying preparing a garden with his mother.

From Benjamin Grows a Garden, written by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

With spring birds accompanying their efforts, Benjamin and his mother prepare the soil for the seeds that will grow into a variety of fruits and vegetables that feed the family and their community. He's already anticipating the corn, beans, and squash that will go into Three Sisters Soup; the berries that will be served with bannock; and the zucchini, tomatoes, and pumpkins that will become stews and pies and salads. 

 

Into the rich tilled soil, Benjamin drops the corns seeds and waters them. Later on, when they have grown a bit, bean seeds are planted. And even later, the squash is planted, so that the corn supports the bean vines, and the squash beneath keeps the soil damp and cool.

From Benjamin Grows a Garden, written by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

This is an impressive garden, diverse in its offerings and expansive in its magnitude. With sun and water and careful attention to the garden's needs, there is a bounty to enjoy and share.

  Benjamin loved springtime.

  Spring was when Benjamin and his mother planted 

their garden together and watched it grow. (pg. 29)

This book was released last fall, but I think it's a perfect time to think about the coming spring and the opportunities for making a garden. Many are perusing seed catalogues right now in preparation, and I suspect Benjamin's mother will be doing the same, unless she derives all her seeds from her own plants. But, more than just the planting of seeds, Benjamin and his mother partake in a traditional discussion of why they plant what they do and speaking Cree as they name that which is planted. (A "Pronunciation Guide" provided by Dr. Arok Wolvengrey of the First Nations University of Canada presents help with this vocabulary.) As such, Melanie Florence, award-winning author of Missing Nimâmâ (illustrated by François Thisdale, 2015) and Stolen Words (illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, 2017), makes planting a garden more than just the mechanics of getting seeds into the ground. Melanie Florence makes it a bonding time for mother and son, and a preservation of culture, language, and tradition.

From Benjamin Grows a Garden, written by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

Hawlii Pichette, the Mushkego Cree urban mixed-blood artist who illustrated the first Benjamin book, continues to support Melanie Florence's story with visuals while furthering the culture through her Woodland style of art. Hawlii Pichette may use digital tools to create her art, but she retains the distinct elements of bold colours, thick black outlines, and segmented interiors for vegetables, trees, shirts, and more. With her style and emphasis on Benjamin and his mother's work tending to the land, the organic connection is evident. There is a distinct warmth of relationship to nature and between family that comes through in Hawlii Pichette's illustrations.

From Benjamin Grows a Garden, written by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

If land and opportunity presents, now is the time to start thinking about planting a garden in the spring. Whether you and your children follow in the traditions of Benjamin and many Indigenous Peoples in the planting of corn, beans, and squash, or consider the countless other fruits and vegetables that might be grown from seeds, your bounty will include far beyond a mouthful of food.

 

• • • • • • • 

Benjamin's Thunderstorm (2023)

Benjamin Grows a Garden (2025)