There’s a great deal of wisdom hiding in children’s stories if you know where to look. Classic fairy tales teach us to follow our intuition; if the apple is too shiny or grandma doesn’t seem like herself, follow your gut and run! Fables remind us to honor our strengths; there’s no need to run your race exactly like everyone else- sometimes slow and steady is the winning way. Children’s tales often pack such a mighty message into a small package that they offer just as much inspiration as a self-help book, but in a much easier to digest format. In my opinion, The Carrot Seed is the perfect example of a simple series of life lessons, brilliantly hidden inside the pages of a classic children’s narrative.
Although it is one of the shortest children’s picture books ever published, The Carrot Seed has remained a best seller list for almost 70 years. In just 101 words, it
is a mini life manual, primer for living your dreams and engaging bedtime story. That’s quite an accomplishment for a succinct, no nonsense children’s book whose main character still manages to both fuel our imaginations and capture our hearts. The Carrot Seed tells the story of a little boy who plants a carrot seed, then waits patiently for it to grow under the doubting and watchful eyes of his family. Day after day he waters the ground, pulls up the weeds and tends to his carrot seed as confidently as any master gardener. In a nutshell (or, rather, in a carrot seed), the book then eloquently and subtly maps out a plan for living out your dreams, no matter how unlikely they appear to others: Begin by planting them with care. Look after your dreams, and give them everything you can to keep them healthy and thriving. Politely ignore naysayers. Be patient. Don’t give up, even if you don’t see progress right away. Growth often happens in the unseen, and waits to make its appearance at precisely the right moment. Nurture your dreams well and wisely, and be confident that they will bloom.
is a mini life manual, primer for living your dreams and engaging bedtime story. That’s quite an accomplishment for a succinct, no nonsense children’s book whose main character still manages to both fuel our imaginations and capture our hearts. The Carrot Seed tells the story of a little boy who plants a carrot seed, then waits patiently for it to grow under the doubting and watchful eyes of his family. Day after day he waters the ground, pulls up the weeds and tends to his carrot seed as confidently as any master gardener. In a nutshell (or, rather, in a carrot seed), the book then eloquently and subtly maps out a plan for living out your dreams, no matter how unlikely they appear to others: Begin by planting them with care. Look after your dreams, and give them everything you can to keep them healthy and thriving. Politely ignore naysayers. Be patient. Don’t give up, even if you don’t see progress right away. Growth often happens in the unseen, and waits to make its appearance at precisely the right moment. Nurture your dreams well and wisely, and be confident that they will bloom.
Like many dreamers, The Carrot Seed’s little gardener finds himself in a difficult position towards the middle of the story, standing at a crossroads. His carrot seed lies fallow in the hard ground, stubbornly refusing to grow. But if he gives up, we know he’ll never see his carrot plant grow. But we’re rooting for him to keep going, to hold steady and stay the course. Fortunately, this little boy never falters in the strength of his convictions, and quietly continues working towards his goal. Dreams, like carrot seeds, don’t always produce results on a predictable timeline. When absolutely nothing seems to be happening above ground, dreamers may be tempted to give up hope. Often, this occurs just before the magic of their hard work and faith is about to bear the fruit.
That is why dreamers and little gardeners alike must stay the course, and never give up before their dreams have had a proper chance to take hold.
In the story, however, it does appear that the boy is set up for a monumental fall. His seed definitely isn’t following expectations. The ground refuses to yield even the tiniest green shoot, and the boy’s family reminds him on every page that his carrot seed isn’t going to grow. As readers, we begin to feel anxious for the boy, even a bit disgruntled. If this little guy’s plant doesn’t make it, his hopes will be chalked up to yet another one of life’s inevitable let downs. (Er, I mean lessons.) Welcome to reality, little dude. May as well get used to it. There’s plenty more disappointment where that came from, waiting for whatever dream you’re set on growing next.
Thankfully, The Carrot Seed isn’t a book about growing failures. It’s a story of perseverance and belief in the face of doubt. No matter how many times the boy’s mother, father and brother insist his plant is a dud, he remains polite, calm, and positive, and simply returns to his work. He carries water, pulls weeds, and cares for his little seed with a single minded patience, faith and determination befitting the likes of the Dalai Lama himself. We learn that one of the little gardener’s secrets to success lies in his quiet confidence. When it appears nothing is growing, he doesn’t throw up his hands or move on to another vegetable before his carrot seed has time to take root. He continues taking care of his carrot seed in the absence of visible progress, and maintains absolute faith in himself and in his work. That unshakeable faith and determination sustain his efforts throughout the story, even if the face of others’ disbelief and a seeming lack of progress on the part of his plant.
Fortunately, the little gardener also doesn’t worry about things in life he can’t control. We never see him scratching his head, trying to predict when his carrot will be ready to pull from the ground. With the simple faith of a child, he consistently cares for his seed, because he knows in his heart he’s on the right track. He’s confident in the natural order of the universe, knowing it will unfold just as it should; his carrot will be ready when his carrot is ready, and there’s simply nothing else to worry about.
The book comes to a triumphant close when, much to the astonishment of his family, the boy harvests a carrot so humongous he needs a wheel barrow just to
haul it home. Predictably, the boy’s family is surprised. They never thought he was capable of growing such a beauty! The boy, of course, is not the least bit surprised, because he never doubted himself from the start. He always knew he’d produce a Carrot For the Ages, so large it would make even the Easter bunny weep with joy. And because he worked hard and believed, the always dependable universe worked its magic and produced mightily for him. He ended up with the carrot of his dreams.
haul it home. Predictably, the boy’s family is surprised. They never thought he was capable of growing such a beauty! The boy, of course, is not the least bit surprised, because he never doubted himself from the start. He always knew he’d produce a Carrot For the Ages, so large it would make even the Easter bunny weep with joy. And because he worked hard and believed, the always dependable universe worked its magic and produced mightily for him. He ended up with the carrot of his dreams.
The Carrot Seed will remain a best seller for as long as the world has fertile ground in which to grow real, live carrots because we’ll live in a world of dreamers, in search of fertile ground in which to plant their dreams. The book strikes a chord with anyone who has had their dreams torpedoed with helpful advice, such as: “That’s impossible!”; “No one’s ever done that.”; “You’re not smart enough/pretty enough/good enough.”; etc. Instead, he remains unaffected and unperturbed. He follows through with his plans, and does everything within his power to take care of his carrot seed, never allowing worry and doubt to enter his world. Nor does he waste time, hunched over his plant, head in hands, fretting about its future and frantically over fertilizing the ground in response to his family’s onslaught of negativity. He doesn’t watch the skies for rain and wonder if he’s going to fail. He simply works, waits and sits back to watch the earth take care of its end of the bargain. But most importantly of all, he believes.
When the right dream begins to unfold within your soul, be confident that you have the tools you need to make it grow, just like the boy and his carrot seed. Of course, when we choose to nurture our dreams, there will inevitably be critics. But we can’t allow them to make us feel afraid, unsure or frustrated. In the end, the cultivation of our dreams does not depend on anyone else’s intentions or opinions of our efforts. Our dreams need a quiet, determined faith and willingness to work to the best of our ability with everything we have, knowing all the while things will turn out as they should. When we give our dreams the luxury of time, hard work and faith, then they’ll cooperate as only dreams can- miraculously, spectacularly and against all odds.
So, if you are a dreamer, gardener or faithful believer in need of inspiration, look to Krauss’ determined, humble gardener. Remember his resolute faith if you find yourself feeling hopeless or downtrodden. As you work, stay steady and faithful, just like the little boy, because you know everything will be well in the end. There will come a day when you finally see your patience, hard work and perseverance pay off off The day your dreams are finally ready for the harvest will be a day of celebration. Be ready, gardeners- on that day, when your dreams come back to you full circle, you are going to need a wheel barrow to carry them home.
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