The Chalk Box Kid

Gregory’s garden in the abandoned chalk factory symbolizes his determination to create and nurture happiness despite his surroundings. Instead of just being frustrated or feeling sorry for himself when Mother explains that there is nowhere around their home for a garden to grow, Gregory makes the choice to create his own garden from chalk drawings. A garden is a place where life takes root and is nurtured through a gardener’s care—a place of beauty, hope, and growth. Gregory’s garden may be made of chalk drawings, but it performs similar functions and shows The Transformative Power of Art as well as the importance of Not Being Defined by Circumstances.

The reception of his garden is not uniformly positive, at first. The other children make fun of it, and Gregory’s adult family members repeatedly dismiss his bids to get them interested in it. He does not lose interest, however—Gregory is determined despite others’ skepticism, and he stays true to his vision. In the end of the story, he is richly rewarded: His teachers, Mr. Hiller, his parents, Ivy, the rest of his classmates, and even Uncle Max all offer him praise for the beauty he has created in desolate surroundings.