This lyrical story about intergenerational bonds begins when 8-year-old Maude buries a box of secret treasures beneath a dogwood tree and makes a promise to herself, unknown to readers. We watch as Maude grows into an adult and, with another woman as partner, has a daughter of her own. This daughter has a daughter in turn.
Maude remembers the box, but its contents slip from her memory, until one day, “seized with a feeling,” she takes her granddaughter to visit the dogwood tree and tells her about burying the box and making a promise. Will the box still be there?
Yes, and the contents are revealed to the granddaughter and the reader—a small toy, a marble, and other personal treasures of childhood. Maude is delighted to revisit these objects from her past, and gives them to her granddaughter, who makes herself a promise in turn.
The story speaks to family connections, but also to the connections we each have to younger versions of ourselves. Author Matthew Burgess conveys these messages through evocative free verse text, while Evan Turk’s warm images perfectly complement the words in this lovely, quietly powerful, and highly recommended book.
All of the characters are Black.
