Sweet Pea Summer

Sweet Pea Summer is a heartwarming story about a young girl who goes to stay with her grandparents while her mother is in the hospital. Initially consumed by worry, she finds solace and a new passion in helping her Grandpa tend his garden, specifically focusing on growing sweet peas for a local flower show. The book beautifully explores themes of perseverance, intergenerational bonding, and finding hope during difficult times, as the girl faces challenges with her plants and grapples with missing her mom. Author-illustrator Hazel Mitchell delivers a gentle narrative with warm illustrations, making it an ideal read for children navigating family illness or learning about resilience. A brief author's note provides interesting facts about sweet peas.

During her mother’s absence, a young girl discovers the joys of gardening—and the rewards of persistence and a sharp eye—in a sweet intergenerational story. A young girl must stay with her grandparents while her mother is in the hospital. At first, it’s hard at first to focus on anything but missing and worrying about her mom. But then Grandpa suggests that she help out in his garden. And what a garden it is! There are rows and rows of vegetables and all kinds of flowers, but the most beautiful of all are Grandpa’s sweet peas. Maybe, Grandpa suggests, she can take care of them over the summer and enter them into the flower show when the season ends. The problem is, nothing seems to go right with the sweet peas. No matter what she does, the flowers keep dying. Until finally, the mystery is solved—but will the sweet peas bloom in time for the show? If only her mother were there . . . With warm, child-friendly illustrations and a simple narration, author-illustrator Hazel Mitchell tells a timeless story about holding on to hope in hard times and finding the strength and determination to see it through. A brief author’s note at the end offers a bit of history and a few details about sweet peas for aspiring gardeners.