So, it just slightly based on the meager accounts of a tale that may have really happened... but still, it makes for a wonderful picture book! Perseverance, kindness, mystery... and true love bringing life to a lonely soul, all in the backdrop of the great navigations involving the Queen of Portugal herself: how can a reader resist it?

Suchi adds: The tale is based on the semi-legendary story of Fernando Lopez, who was a sort of Johnny Appleseed to the island of St. Helena. When he arrived, it was a barren spot in the Atlantic, but over the years, his work transformed it into a lush, beautiful island. Portuguese sailors would stop off there, take what they needed, and leave him grains and plants – even fruit trees – that he would plant and care for.