{"product_id":"the-gardener-of-alcatraz-isbn-9781623541606","title":"The Gardener of Alcatraz","description":"\u003cb\u003eA prisoner gardens his way to freedom in this inspiring picture-book biography.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. He found new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTold with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion.♦     Here's the thing, see: with \u003ci\u003eThe Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story\u003c\/i\u003e,  Emma Bland Smith and Jenn Ely have created this really terrific picture  book biography of a crook who turned his life around. And get this: the  narrator sounds like an old-movie tough guy right outta the story's  setting! As the narrator puts it after the crook goes straight, \"Swell!\"\u003cbr\u003e      What happens is, after this guy Elliott Michener gets busted for  counterfeiting, he's sent to Alcatraz, the roughest, toughest prison  there is. At first Michener isn't sold on rehabilitation--he figures  he'll break out and maybe take up counterfeiting again, or else knock  off a bank. But when he finds a key in the prison yard, does he try it  in every gate at the joint? Naw--he turns in the key! So the guards let  Michener help with the gardening. And holy smokes, the jailbird likes  the job! Sure, maybe not for the right reason at first....\u003cbr\u003e      With \u003ci\u003eThe Gardener of Alcatraz\u003c\/i\u003e, Smith (\u003ci\u003eThe Pig War\u003c\/i\u003e) has produced a humane and moving story, and Ely (\u003ci\u003eIf You Were a Kid Building a Pyramid\u003c\/i\u003e)  captures the emotional nub of every scene, using a gloomier palette to  reflect Michener's darker days and a brighter one to reflect his  expanding horizons. Back matter offers historical context (the year that  Michener landed at Alcatraz--1941--is curiously missing from the main  text) and discusses changing attitudes toward rehabilitation: \"Today  experts know that giving incarcerated people meaningful work is  important and worthwhile.\" Swell! \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness Reader\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrisoners sent to the forbidding island prison Alcatraz had few opportunities for meaningful work, which makes the story of Elliot Michener quite remarkable. Michener, convicted counterfeiter, spent much of his early time there devising ways to escape. The opportunity to become a prison gardener, however, gave his life new meaning. Not only did he transform the drab land surrounding the prison into a landscape bursting with color, but Michener was invited to help out at the warden’s house. Michener was eventually released from prison, after which he went to work on a farm in Wisconsin. Though this is the story of one man at one notorious prison, the author subtly conveys the need for more humane treatment of all prisoners given the possibility of better outcomes for their lives post-incarceration. The small amount of text on each page and the appealing artwork make this an engaging read. Michener and the other main characters are all white, while other prisoners are a variety of ethnicities, a fact not lost on the author, as she explains in a note. Pair this with Jennifer Choldenko’s \u003ci\u003eAl Capone Does My Shirts\u003c\/i\u003e, also set on Alcatraz. Extensive back matter includes a time line, historical photographs, further information about Michener and Alcatraz, and a selected bibliography. VERDICT A fascinating look at a minor historical figure, sure to inspire discussion. —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuperb storytelling elevates a solid story line into something more.  That alchemy occurs in this lively biography of an unlikely subject.  Through the ’40s, a convicted counterfeiter at the toughest prison in  the country goes from figuring out how to escape to figuring out how to  plant “every square inch of the island.” But first, hoping to “bust  out,” Elliott Michener cons the big bosses into trusting him with a  gardening project, and, over the years, he grows trustworthy. Trying to  overcome tedium, Michener transforms the island from gray to green. In  so doing, he grows productive — a dedicated gardener with “passion,  pride, and solid skills.” Beyond offering a well-paced tale, the  omniscient narrator regularly checks in with chatty interjections: “Let  me tell you.” “Make no mistake.” “And our story takes a turn.”  Meanwhile, flat paintings set the scenes, accommodating both the  grimness of prison life and the bounty of flowers. Michener’s capacity  to change is impressive and inspiring. San Francisco author Emma Bland  Smith gracefully plumbs deeper themes about the dignity of work and the  meaning of freedom in this beautifully rendered feel-good book. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The San Francisco Chronicle\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eEmma Bland Smith thinks the best thing about writing books is getting to visit lots of cool places for research--like Alcatraz. She is a public librarian, a book blogger, and the author of many children's books, including \u003ci\u003eJourney: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJenn Ely loves a well-told story. She works on animated projects for film and television and illustrates books, such as \u003ci\u003eIf You Were a Kid Building a Pyramid\u003c\/i\u003e. Jenn believes in trying things that might not work because that's what makes you grow. www.jennely.com @elyjenna","brand":"Charlesbridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304142917861,"sku":"NP9781623541606","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781623541606.jpg?v=1767739473","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-gardener-of-alcatraz-isbn-9781623541606","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}