Benny's Garden

Benny's Garden
by Adrian M. Mompoint (Author), Lisa E Wilson (Illustrator)
 
At first, Benny’s Garden seems like a simple story about a kind gardener who spends his days helping people around town. Benny mows lawns, trims bushes, plants flowers, fixes fences, and does whatever else his neighbors need. The interesting thing about Benny, though, is that he never wants anything in return. When people offer to pay him, he simply tells them that helping is enough.
 
Laurie, a young girl who has known Benny for most of her life, is especially fond of him. She watches him work and even gets little lessons from him about gardening. But Laurie becomes curious when Benny leaves her family's house one evening and, instead of going home, drives his old green truck to the cemetery.
 
Naturally, she wants to know why.
 
What Laurie discovers there turns a place she has always thought was frightening into something completely different. Benny spends time caring for forgotten gravestones, telling Laurie about the people buried there and the lives they once lived. As she explores the cemetery with him, she begins to notice the flowers, butterflies, birds, and other little bits of beauty she had never taken the time to see before.
 
I really liked the way the story handles that change in Laurie's perspective. There isn't anything dramatic or frightening about the cemetery. Instead, Benny simply helps her slow down and look at it differently. His comment that the gravestones tell “little stories” is a nice touch, because it gives Laurie a way to understand that the people buried there were more than just names on stones.
 
The story takes an especially touching turn when Laurie discovers that Benny's wife, Emily, is buried there. Benny still visits her and plants her favorite flowers, keeping a connection to her through the things she loved. The little butterfly pin he gives Laurie at the end adds another sweet connection between Emily, Benny, and Laurie.
 
There is a gentle message running throughout Benny’s Garden about kindness, remembering people, and finding beauty in places we may not understand. I also liked that Benny doesn't simply tell Laurie what she should think. He lets her explore, ask questions, and come to her own realization that the cemetery isn't something she needs to fear.
 
For a children's book, I think this is a particularly nice way to introduce ideas about remembering loved ones and dealing with a place that can sometimes be associated with sadness. The story keeps those ideas approachable for young readers without becoming overly heavy.
 
The ending is probably my favorite part. That little yellow butterfly quietly following Benny and Laurie as they continue their adventure is a lovely final image, especially after learning how much butterflies meant to Emily.
 
Benny’s Garden is a sweet, thoughtful story about kindness, friendship, memories, and looking a little closer at the world around us. It would make a nice read for children, particularly those who may have questions about cemeteries, loved ones who have passed away, or why remembering people matters. Beneath the simple story about a gardener and a curious little girl is a reminder that there can be beauty and warmth in places we don't always expect to find them.

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