Planting Hope
A book FOR kids BY kids
Led by teaching artists: Susie Wilde (script) and Peg Gignoux (textile artist)
(The following are suggestions to guide your conversations​ around Planting
​ Hope.
Remember, your own questions and observations are just as meaningful.)
​
Planting Hope tells the tale of a golden seed and a hard-working girl and who brings
unity to a divided garden. Why is that a good idea for a book?
The proceeds from this book will be donated to ​PORCH​ (People Offering Relief for
Chapel Hill Carrboro Homes). Notice the setting of the story starts on a porch and
ends on a porch. Why do you think the writers made that decision? What is the
mood of the story in both instances?
The careful word choice makes the story more appealing. Discuss the meaning of the
following action words: ​“trudged” “plucked” “shimmered” “tucked” “nestled”
“boasted”. Give other examples of excellent word choice throughout the book.
​
​​
“​Her sneakers, red
​ as juicy ripe tomatoes, stirred up ​ dust as she trudged home.” is
an example of a simile, a comparison of two different things using “like” or “as”. The
writers compared the color of sneakers to the color of tomatoes. Have fun making
up your own comparisons.
Terra had a dream that the seed would bring hope. How did her dream come true?
What did the founders of ​PORCH ​dream? How did their dream come true? What is
your dream?
​
Name some of the vegetables mentioned in this story. Name some of the flowers.
How were they different from each other? How were they the same? Why were they
in conflict?
This story has a magical quality. “​There caught in the tread, gleamed the very seed she
had seen in her dream.” Can you give other examples of magical quality in this story?
PORCH, PO Box 16363, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
https://chapelhill.porchcommunities.org/
The textile print collages are colorful and inviting. Select any page and notice the
details. Can you see the stitches where the fabric was sewn together? Aren’t the
colors vibrant? (bright, intense)
Notice how the fabric and shapes were placed on top of each other to show depth.
Look closely at several pages and compare how this was done.
Some of the words are larger than others and are in different colors. The writers
chose those words because they were important to the story and encouraged us to
read them louder. It is really fun to read those pages out loud. Try it!
Why are the worms, bees, and the butterfly important to this story? What about the
water, sunlight, and good soil? What part do they play in the garden?
If you had a garden, what would you plant? Who would you ask to help you plant a
garden?
Terra, the little girl’s name, means “land” in Spanish. Why is that a good choice for
her? How did Terra care for her garden?
Describe the kind of person Terra is. Why would you like her for a friend?
How did Terra solve the conflict between the vegetables and the flowers? Is there
another way she could have solved the problem?
Hope was neither a vegetable nor a flower. Did you predict that surprise ending? Do
you have other ideas what Hope could have been?
Discuss how making this book took a lot of cooperation among the writers and
artists. ​PORCH​ volunteers also cooperate together. Can you give an example of how
you cooperate with others in your school/community?
Read the last section of this book and find out what ​PORCH ​is all about.​ ​Would you
like to bring ​PORCH​ to your neighborhood? Go on line to learn how.
Like Terra, do you have a dream to make your community/school better? What is
it? It will take collaboration with people working together -- just like the vegetables,
flowers and gourds in the garden. Who can help you make that dream come true?
Does ​Planting Hope remind you of any other book you read or movie you’ve seen?
Don’t you think it would be fun to make a video or movie of this story?
Doesn’t reading this story make you want to write and illustrate more books?
Doesn’t it make you want to dream big dreams and work to make them come true?