by Kate Seredy
First published 2014
Small Peter lives in the crumbling neighborhood of Shantytown, where broken doors hang crooked and junk piles dot the streets. One day he encounters big Peter, a figure no one else has ever seen or will see again. Big Peter gives the boy two gifts: a toy spade with a red handle and a small green tree decorated with tiny candles. These simple presents spark something unexpected in Shantytown's weary residents. Hope returns to people who had given up. Neighbors start planting gardens. They clear away the garbage heaps and repair their sagging doors. The beaten-down houses get fresh coats of white paint. A tramp, an Irish police officer, and City Hall all play their parts as the community transforms itself. Shantytown becomes Peter's Landing, and the people rediscover that love and hope can move mountains.
Genres: family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, small-town
Setting: Shantytown, Peter's Landing
Period: 20th-century
108 pages · Paperback · Purple House Press