"The Gardener," by Sarah Stewart, is an award winning (Caldecott Medal) book that gives a soft introduction to the Great Depression. The book is written strictly with letter correspondences & is a perfect resource for teaching letter formatting & writing. It is also a great resource for introducing seeds, planting, & gardening. This book study unit includes: reading comprehension activities, setting, plot, problem, resolution, retelling, beginning, middle, & ending, Venn diagram