This book pays loving tribute to Black farmers and their produce stands. In the face of real life's steady and often irreversible losses, Antwan Eady reaches into the realm of imagination to give a hopeful twist to the story, one that introduces children to the challenges faced by farmers of color and encourages them to find their own way to bravely make a difference.
Little Earl, the narrator, helps his papa Earl maintain their produce stand, the last one in what used to be a thriving farmers market. Illustrations by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, a team of brothers, spotlight the contrast between the father and son's busy and abundantly overflowing booth and the "sorry, closed" signs on all other booths.
Not only does the boy help prepare and run his papa's booth; they also work together to deliver special orders to those who can't make it to market: personalized community service at its finest.
"I walk a basket of plums up Mrs. Brown's driveway.
" 'Y'all coming later and later, Earl!' she shouts to Papa.
" 'But you're worth the wait.' She smiles, wide like Granny's handwoven baskets."
The mention of the longer wait is foreshadowing. What is Little Earl to do when one day his papa starts being too tired to harvest or even to bring food to market or make special deliveries? This is where author Antwan Eady pours on his hope and faith in the next generation.
The story is written for three to seven year olds, but the Author's Note at the end is one we all need to hear. Eady explains that "a little over a century ago, Black farmers made up fourteen percent of farmers in America. Today, that number is less than two percent." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) discriminated against Black farmers for years, and even when farmers filed class-action lawsuits in the late 1990s that led to the largest civil rights settlement in history at that time, "the damage that had been done was beyond repair." Eady writes with love and apology to those who fought so hard and had their lands taken away: "This is my way of saying 'I see you.' "
