The Carrot Seed

I am a big fan of children’s books. Even though my daughter and granddaughter have out grown them, there are still shelfs in my study lined with the most beautiful books written and illustrated for children. Children’s books teach values in the most playful, honest, and creative way. They speak directly to the heart using story and art, the language of the heart. My daughter thinks we should get rid of them but I just love these books too much. They are old friends.

In this age of anxiety as we witness a crisis of selfishness, cruelty and lack of regard for the well-being of others unfold before our eyes, often feeling helpless to stop it, we need to find ways to soothe ourselves. We soothe ourselves, not to turn our backs on the suffering, but to replenish our reserve of hope in the basic goodness of life so that we can continue to advocate for love. We are being challenged to bring our best selves to the task and to never give up. In the words of John Lewis, “Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.” In order to do this we need to continually replenish our reserves.

It’s hard to see what good will come out of this time we’re living in since we are still in the middle of the forest. But history tells us that there is more here than meets the eye, the final chapter has not been written. We need to stay open to the mystery, open to the possibility of kindness and forward movement for humanity. In that vein, I offer you one of my most cherished children’s books, The Carrot Seed, written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. The Carrot Seed was copywritten in 1945. The fact that it continues to be in circulation in 2025 with over 1,000 5 star reviews on Amazon is a testament to its enduring value. I only wish I could make you a cup of tea and read it to you. Many times I feel like giving up on the herculean task of bringing more love, sanity, integrity and warmth into this dysfunctional situation. This little book reminds me to just keep going, to keep loving and to not expect to see immediate results.

The Carrot Seed

A little boy planted a carrot seed.

His mother said, “I’m afraid it won’t come up.”

His father said, “I’m afraid it won’t come up.”

And his big brother said, “It won’t come up.”

Every day the little boy pulled up the weeds around the seed and sprinkled the ground with water.

But nothing came up.

And nothing came up.

Everyone kept saying it wouldn’t come up.

But he still pulled up the weeds around it every day and sprinkled the ground with water.

And then, one day,

A carrot came up

Just as the little boy had known it would.