"Maude told Eve about the red tin box,
about the hole she dug beneath the dogwood,
about the promise she made
when she was eight years old.
"But what's inside the box?
How do you know it's still there?
Those were questions
Maude couldn't answer."
At 8, Maude leaves everyone asleep in a dark house, and slips into the woods. She finds the perfect spot, digs a hole, and buries a 'red tin box'. She is the only one who knows what the box holds; only Maude knows the promise she makes on that day.
Years pass, Maude grows. She has a child of her own, who grows herself into a young woman as Maude once was, and also has a daughter. A day dawns when Maude decides to take that granddaughter and make the long drive to her childhood home. Will they be able to find the box, and discover its contents after all these years?
The dogwood still stands, a very special place from Maude's happy childhood memories. They begin to dig. Voila! The box is found. As Eve watches in awe, her grandmother removes its many treasures. Treasures Maude has forgotten after so many years. Treasures that bring tears to her eyes and stories to her lips. She gifts the box to Eve when they arrive home again. Following in her grandmother's footsteps, Eve makes a promise to herself.
Evan Turk honors this wondrous story with gouache images rendered in dynamic colors of red, purple, and pink with gorgeous infused light that gives prominence to the characters and the settings. Love is evident at every turn, and makes the discovery of joyful remembrance heartwarming.
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