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The Curious Garden

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 1,953 ratings · 306 reviews

One boy's quest for a greener world... one garden at a time.

While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.

This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes and breathtaking illustrations that be...more

Hardcover, 40 pages

Published April 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

2010 Caldecott Hopefuls

3rd out of 61 books — 154 voters

Picture Books About Gardens

1st out of 93 books — 48 voters

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Aug 31, 2009 Abigail rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: City Residents who Love Growing Things

Recommended to Abigail by: Kathryn

Shelves: picture-books

Review Temporarily Removed

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 09, 2009 Scope rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

Hello! My name is Mr. Message. You probably know me from my countless appearances in books, especially the "for children" variety. It's my job to expose a universal truth or support a cause. Sometimes I even tell the reader how they should act. As you may know, I can be controversial.

Sometimes, people get upset when authors make it really clear that I'm coming to the party. They put me front and center, and the story takes a back seat. Hey, I can be preachy if that's what the author wants! I don...more Hello! My name is Mr. Message. You probably know me from my countless appearances in books, especially the "for children" variety. It's my job to expose a universal truth or support a cause. Sometimes I even tell the reader how they should act. As you may know, I can be controversial.

Sometimes, people get upset when authors make it really clear that I'm coming to the party. They put me front and center, and the story takes a back seat. Hey, I can be preachy if that's what the author wants! I don't always raise a stink, though. Occasionally, authors cleverly sneak me into a story, making as little disruption as possible. The reader hardly knows I'm there.

Then you have an author like Peter Brown (Chowder, Flight of the Dodo) and his book The Curious Garden. In this book I tell kids that caring for the environment makes a better world. Peter somehow manages to to make me the center of attention, yet not so preachy that it feels like readers are learning a lesson. There's a kind of take-it-or-leave-it nonchalance that I quite like.

The story is about a red-haired boy named Liam. He lives in a dreary town without a plant to speak of. No trees, no flowers, nothing but cement and smog. One day Liam happens upon a staircase which leads to the abandoned railroad tracks. What our hero discovers there changes his life. He finds plants. It's not much - some sad looking grass and a few flowers on their deathbeds, but Liam decides to nurse them back to health. As they get better, the vegetation begins to spread, and soon other folks begin to follow Liam's lead. After a while the town, once dingy and gray, is transformed.

While Peter did a great job adding me to the story, his acrylic and gouache illustrations really steal the show. The man is a master of perspective, always choosing the right angle to add life to the story. The beating heart of this book is right in the middle. Two wordless two-page spreads show the amazing growth of Liam's garden. In fact, the illustrations are such that this book would function pretty well were it completely wordless.

While I, Mr. Message, would love to take sole credit for the success of The Curious Garden, more praise should go to Mr. Brown, who created beautiful images, tamed my preachy side, and crafted a lovely story.(less)

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May 16, 2009 Merry rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: children - baby to 2nd grade

Recommended to Merry by: BOTNS

Shelves: children-s-books

Charming little book about a boy named Liam, who creates a garden in an unlikely place. A nice story with quality illustrations to match. Add a packet of seeds and/or some small child gardening tools with this book for a wonderful children's gift.

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Feb 05, 2013 Leah Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-storybooks

As this story tells the story of Liam, a young curious boy, becoming a gardener and living up his town, I thought this was a much better alternative to Extra Yarn; in that it showed how a kid can transform their town in a more realistic and productive way.
As Liam in exploring through is dull, un-lively, factory town he finds a little bit of plant life on an old train track. He begins to help the plants grow and when winter rolls around he doesn’t stop doing so. He reads books and buys gardeni...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Amy Musser rated it 5 of 5 stars

Liam lives in a dark, grey city devoid of plants and gardens. Everyone stays inside; everyone but Liam. He loves to explore the city. One day he finds the stairway to an abandoned elevated railway. There he finds a few plants struggling to grow over the old rails. So Liam returns every day to tend the plants. Soon the garden expands to cover every corner of the railway. The years pass and Liam not only grows to become a better gardener, the garden grows as well. It leaves the confines of the rai...more

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Oct 26, 2010 N_maheenayub rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

In the Curious Garden, Liam is a curious little boy, and this curiosity leads to an area with a broken railroad running through it along with a sparse garden. In an effort to help the garden from "drowning," he decides to sign to it and help it grow. This is no ordinary garden. It grows to eventually cover much of the city! Although it faces a rocky progress due to the winter season, Liam helps nurture it back to life. Eventually this garden spreads across the city and much of the city's populat...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: absolute-favorites, childrens-stories, picture-books, favorites

So many of my friends had spoken so highly of this that I was afraid by the time I read it I'd be somewhat disappointed. I'm very pleased to say that I was wrong. Even with all the "hype" this little book still managed to touch my heart by the second page and hold me till the end.

What I love about this book, is not only the wonderful idea of a garden as something of a sentient being, wanting to explore the green-less city around it, but also how the young gardener in the book is such a happy boy...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Treasa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, grades-3-5, grades-k-2, picture-books

Liam lives in a city where there is no greenery, just buildings, sidewalks, train tracks, factories, and streets. One day as he is exploring the now abandoned train tracks, Liam discovers something extraordinary: wildflowers and plants. These plants need a gardener, and Liam happily gives himself the job, not aware of what an amazing impact he will have on his city.

This is a sweet story about the environment with beautiful illustrations. In fact, the illustrations were probably my favorite part...more

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Nov 27, 2009 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

Liam, an imaginative and determined boy is out for a walk in his dreary city when he discovers an open stairway to an unused railroad bed. He runs up to explore and finds that there are wildflowers and plants growin -- most unexpected! Excitely Liam begins to tend to the plants, pruning, watering, and even singing to them. It turns out that the plants are just as curious as Liam, and they beginn to spread through the city. The plants and flowers sometimes pop up where they don't belong (strangli...more Liam, an imaginative and determined boy is out for a walk in his dreary city when he discovers an open stairway to an unused railroad bed. He runs up to explore and finds that there are wildflowers and plants growin -- most unexpected! Excitely Liam begins to tend to the plants, pruning, watering, and even singing to them. It turns out that the plants are just as curious as Liam, and they beginn to spread through the city. The plants and flowers sometimes pop up where they don't belong (strangling a stop sign or fire hydrant), but sometimes "mysteriously" pop up all at once (in front of an elderly man's home).
The bold illustrations, rendered in acrylic, are realistic.Placement and size are varied throughtout the book with vignettes of Liam watering or admiring his plants and full or double page illustrations displayed to provide an overview of the changing city. The illustrations are descriptive enough, that the story is clearly understood even without the text.
Initially, the color sets a somber tone. Brown uses dull shades of gray and muted brick reds to portray an industrialized city. As Liam's plants begin to thrive, the colors become vibrant, bright, and happy. They sky is an eye-popping azure, the daisies are bright white, and the grasses are lush greens. While there still are smokestacks, abandoned cars, and boarded up buildings, the overall sense from the images is one of joy. Towards the end of the book we see that everyone in the city has been affected by Liam's curious garden. Children, adults, and senior citizens are seen playing or maintaining the green spaces that surround them.
While Liam never considered himself to be a gardener, he worked diligently and happily to bring colr and vibrancy to his city. His story is an uplifting tale that may motivate young readers to cultivate a love of gardening. This book would be a super read-aloud for Pre-schoolers to 2nd graders and would be a good lead in for a discusion about the benefits of plants to our health and communities. A simple seed project or gardening activity would be a natural follow-up. (less)

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Aug 27, 2009 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE!

Shelves: childrens-picture-books, very-favorites, nature-animals

I am in love with this book!!! It touched my mind, my heart and my imagination. Liam is an adorable, thoughtful, creative boy who gently cares for and appreciates the bedraggles remnants of a garden--the only plant life in the city. Yet, the garden is also a personality in this story. I don't want to give anything away, just encourage everyone to read this book! The illustration at the end almost brought tears to my eyes it is so beautiful! I am sure I am talking this up too much, but, hey, what...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

They say that children's books are inherently didactic. Particularly those of the picture book variety. There's an idea that you can't tell a story to a child without including some of your own personal values in the midst of the tale. And this may be true since immoral children's books are few and far between (Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book excepted, of course). The trick then is to tell a tale without bludgeoning the child over the head with the message. Get too preachy and both kids and parents will...more They say that children's books are inherently didactic. Particularly those of the picture book variety. There's an idea that you can't tell a story to a child without including some of your own personal values in the midst of the tale. And this may be true since immoral children's books are few and far between (Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book excepted, of course). The trick then is to tell a tale without bludgeoning the child over the head with the message. Get too preachy and both kids and parents will shy away from the material. Not preachy enough and you're basically just placing words on a page without much in the way of rhyme or reason. Enter The Curious Garden, which is just about the perfect balance of message and text. I'll admit to you right off the bat that I read the book once, and then put it away without another thought. Then I read the book a second time and my interest was peaked. About the moment I read the book a third time I was hooked for good. Peter Brown's story isn't what one would call exactly subtle, but what he's managed to do here is tell a good story without falling into the usual traps and trials so many environmental picture books have found themselves enmeshed in before. No small feat.

In a city like any city where the people spend their time mostly indoors, there lives a boy named Liam. A curious lad, one day Liam stumbles on a stairwell that leads up to some old railway tracks. Upon following the tracks he is delighted to discover a small patch of green in need of a gardener. Though at first he makes a lot of mistakes, Liam becomes better and better at helping the tough little weeds and flowers to grow. The garden, which is as curious as Liam, spreads. Sometimes in a good way. Sometimes in a bad way. And as people notice the growth they too are inspired to start their own gardens. Years later, the city is transformed and Liam (who has married and had children in the interim) is still there. Pruning and tending and happy. Inspired by the beauty of New York's High Line park (an old elevated railway recently converted into a lush garden) Brown tells the tale of a city melded with nature, producing something utterly new and entirely beautiful.

Does every story need a villain? It usually needs some form of antagonist, yes. Someone or something that stands between our hero and his goal. In this book, though, there isn't much standing in Liam's way aside from his own self-doubt and, possibly, the cold winter months that render the garden dead and brown. Considering the nature (ha ha) of the story, you would think that Brown would have been inclined to add some evil industrialist or Once-ler ala The Lorax. The funny thing is that the lack of a bad guy doesn't hurt the book. Some are bound to be put off by the easygoing nature of the story, but since it's starting from a point of conflict I don't feel an overwhelming need for Brown to add to that. As Liam's fighting decay with wildlife, that's your essential point of conflict right there. A villain with a twirling moustache and shiny pinstriped suit would be out of place in this book.

I've always been a sucker for industrial beauty. It's probably why I'm such a huge Ezra Jack Keats fan. Now there was an author/illustrator who knew how to capture the beauty of rust and machinery and graffiti. The city was a raucous riot of color under his hand and everybody knew it. Peter Brown's book actually does something similar, though his intentions are different. The beauty of the city is still here, but it's the beauty that comes when the manmade mixes and melds with nature. Railway lines into long gardens. Rooftops sporting treetops. Ivy curling up chipped paint and abandoned walls. I still like to find beauty in abandoned tracks and rusted metal, but Brown's making a strong case here for the beauty of the abandoned in a whole new way.

In terms of the art, Brown is working here with acrylic and gouache on board. His style is so slick and smooth, though, that you might initially mistake it for computer graphics of one sort or another. It's a lot of fun to watch what Brown does with light and color too. Liam's hair is red, his eyes are blue, and at first he's the only spot of color in a dank, dreary, grey/brown world. Brown has also done a clever thing with the little tree that Liam begins by tending. It hasn't exactly been anthropomorphized (for all intents and purposes this is a fairly realistic story) but Brown has drawn the leaves in such a way that it looks like the tree has closed its multiple eyes and smiled with multiple smiles. It's not an obvious detail, but it gives the story a certain friendliness you might miss on an initial pass. In fact, if you look closely, you'll see that at the end Liam is now an adult and the text reads, "And you could always find Liam in the place where it all began." Sure as shooting, there he is, tending to that same tree, no longer a little shrub but a great big impressive, and still smiling, companion.

There are little things about the art that flicker on the outside of your eyeballs without ever directly catching your eye entirely. The smog, for example. It's everywhere. You don't even notice it on a first or second reading. Look closely, though, and you'll see that pernicious brown soot and smoke lurking in the corners of each page's borders. It starts as early as the title page, like the dirty fingerprints of a polluted sky. In lingers on the edges of every page until you reach the final two-page spread. It's still there, mind you. Licking the edges of the left-hand page. But as your eye moves slowly to the right, you might notice that the brown fug evaporates. As this story takes place in an industrial town, it would be too much to expect that the population suddenly found a new industry to support themselves, but Brown has hidden little hints as to why there might be less air pollution. Maybe it's the abundance of trees soaking up the carbon dioxide. Maybe it's the windmills, which have apparently been constructed out of the old smokestacks of a factory or two. Alternative clean air energy? Maybe so. In any case, it provides parents with an excuse to talk to their kids about pollution in cities and the different ways of getting rid of it.

Of course the book this reminded me of the most was probably Home by Jeannie Baker. In both books, industry is tackled by those citizens who take an interest in natural beautification. Folks have embraced this book as an environmental tale, and I suppose that it is. But I really do believe that its purpose, first and foremost, is to simply tell a good story. If you happen to learn a nice lesson as a result, that's all well and good, but the tale is key here, not the message. Brown has created his best picture book yet. One that is bound to be enjoyed and loved by families for generations to come.

For ages 4-8.(less)

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Jul 03, 2009 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books, books-for-boys, gardening, green-eco-friendly, stewardship, borrowed-from-the-library

When Liam is out exploring (he seems to be the only one in his city that enjoys being outside) he discovers some plants struggling to grow between the rails of an abandoned elevated railway. He starts tending these plants, even though he doesn’t have much experience with gardening, and he gradually learns how to care for them. The plants flourish and the garden begins to expand and travel along the railway (both Liam and the garden are curious about new places). When winter comes, the garden is...more When Liam is out exploring (he seems to be the only one in his city that enjoys being outside) he discovers some plants struggling to grow between the rails of an abandoned elevated railway. He starts tending these plants, even though he doesn’t have much experience with gardening, and he gradually learns how to care for them. The plants flourish and the garden begins to expand and travel along the railway (both Liam and the garden are curious about new places). When winter comes, the garden is covered by snow, but Liam uses the time to prepare for the spring, and others join him in his gardening pursuits (he leaves growing surprises on people’s doorsteps). Years later, the garden and the city and its inhabitants are all flourishing and finding ways to live together. Beautiful, whimsical, bright illustrations of the curious garden’s explorations accompany the text. Some illustrations speak entirely for themselves, as the garden grows into new places and new people become involved with it. This is an excellent choice for talking to kids about green spaces, and to get them interested in gardening and the environment – it shows them that anyone can be involved, anyone can make a difference, and anyone can learn how to do something (like gardening) that they don’t know much about at first. It’s empowering and fun to read.

I was just reading about NYC’s Highline elevated railway being opened as a park – they’ve planted it and added paths, and people can now tread where the trains once ran. Peter Brown actually references the Highline in a note at the end of The Curious Garden (my mother would say this is another one of those glorious coincidences that she’s so fond of, whereas I maintain that it’s all about paying attention – once something catches your eye/brain, you’re more likely to notice other references to it). I love when urban spaces are reverted to nature – there are far too many strip malls and developers and city planners who think that every green spot either has to be filled with buildings or managed/landscaped to death. I think a little wildness, and a little green is good for us all.
(less)

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May 23, 2012 Magpie67 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s, magpie-s-2012-goal, library-book

I love gardens! And I love that the author used gardens to make the ugly buildings go away. I lived in the city and when I visit I long to see the rolling hills as I travel back to my small town home. There is peace in them green hills. On a whim Liam sees a few green plants trying to grow and so he helps them along and when winter comes along instead of worrying about his plants he gets proactive. "After three cold months the snow finally began to melt, and Liam rolled his new gardening gear ov...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Alisha Slone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-storybooks

This book is about a place in the city that was very dreary and dark, with no plants, grass, or any color. A boy names Liam found a patch of grass and flowers on the train tracks and decided to tend to it. Soon the grass, flowers, and mosses started growing and soon every inch of the tracks was covered with color. After winter came, he used his new tools on his garden and it started coming alive again. Then there were new gardeners and the whole city transformed into a beauitful place to live. P...more

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Mar 30, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-read-childrens-ya

I think it's beautiful, but I wonder about its kid appeal.

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Oct 20, 2011 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Picture Storybook: Peter Brown's The Curious Garden is an imaginative story about a curious boy, named Liam. Liam lives in a big city and is saddened by the lack of gardens and greenery in his area. As he is exploring he comes across an abandoned railroad track and begins to garden there. The garden grows and prospers under Liam's green thumb and becomes just as "curious" as he is. The city's citizens are inspired by the garden and Liam's once small garden has grown and lights up his city with l...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Tricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liam lives in a drab and colorless city. One day he comes upon a neglected patch of garden and decides that he will take responsibility for its nuturing, even though he knows nothing about being a gardener. By trial and error, his garden spreads and by example, others follow suit. Anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows that I'm not big on picture books having a preachy message. "The Curious Garden" provides a message but doesn't throw it in the reader's face. One person can make a differenc...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: picturebook, fiction

I actually really like this book, even though I picked it up completely on a whim. The double-play on "curious" is quite nice as is the story which was inspired by the High Line park. The text is simple and the author/illustrator is unafraid to play with the pacing by presenting a few full page spreads when the pictures will work as well as words. I think the colour scheme of somewhat drab hues mixed with a couple brighter reds, pinks, and greens works really well. The imaginative structures pre...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-story-books

A little boy named Liam lives in a city without any gardens or greenery of any kind. While on a walk one day Liam finds a plant in the most random place. An old railway that had been closed for many of years. Liam takes it upon himself to garden these few plants. Facing a few challenges Liam's garden begins to spread though out the entire city. As the garden begins to grow more gardeners help Liam care for the plants.

This book would be great for children at any age level. Younger children will...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Julianne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This children's picture book is somewhat similar in theme to Seedfolks which I read last month. There's a drab city, a boy discovers an abandoned space, he sees a few struggling plants, he waters them and nurtures them and they survive and spread. In this case, it's an elevated railway track. And it's not the people who take charge here. The garden itself is "curious" and keeps growing in an effort to see what's going on in other parts of town. Soon, the whole town is bright and beautiful!

The ch...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Helen Kumpel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, science-going-green, science-literature, science-environent, meaning-making

This book is for: PreK-5
Topic: Environment/Going Green/Pollution
Reflection:
This book was actually written and illustrated by Peter Brown. Liam, the main character, goes exploring in the city. He discovers some wildflowers that are in need of some care. He returns the next day and gets to work. This is somewhat along the lines of "The Lorax" but a very simple, no guilt trip kind of book.
This book could be used as an example to persuade students to take action or inform them about pollution. They...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Lindsay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-make-a-difference, fiction, jcs, reader-s-notebook-and-book-activiti

Theme: making a difference, nature

I was drawn to this book right away because of the cover, so cute! A great story of one boy who is able to make a big difference in his city. Great inspiration for kids to see that they can be the one to make such a great big positive impact. I loved the author's note in the back of the book, it inspired me to look for nature in unusual places.

Classroom Connections: A great book to use with our plant unit. Great for discussion of how could a plant grow on an o...more

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Nov 09, 2010 KIDD WAVEY rated it 5 of 5 stars

i think this book was good because it taught me how to be a good steward also in the book i think liam was a good steward to that city so called a dump liam was the type of boy who cared of the garden rather then wasting his time during the winter playing with friends having snowball fights.Instead he wasted his time preparing for spring , once liam made the garden look so beautiful everybody in the city began to make gardens of there own in any kinds of places there front lawns there roofs even...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Stephanie Kahn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Liam is a curious little boy who discovers plants growing in an unlikely place on top of an abandoned train trestle. Liam decides to help the plants along, and slowly changes the entire city. The book begins with a two-page spread illustrating a smog-filled, polluted city. It ends with the same exact city except it is lush, green, and no longer polluted. It proves that one person can cause a positive change. Children will like comparing the before and after pictures of the city. The text is high...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

A beautiful story about a little boy named Liam who finds a run-down garden in the middle of his polluted city. As time goes on, Liam tends to the garden and helps transform his bleak, gray city into a luscious, plant-populated wonderland! The illustrations in this book are amazing, as the garden grows each page becomes more and more vividly colored and you really feel like you're apart of this city's transformation. This story is a great way to help introduce the idea of "going green", saving t...more

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Aug 01, 2009 Yuki rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ages 3 -8, and up!

Recommended to Yuki by: High Line street festival

Shelves: children, house-plants-gardens

This lovely book was inspired by the lush garden of wildflowers and grasses that grew over the derelict elevated railway the "High Line" on the west side of Manhattan. (In the '90s the community rallied to preserve and reuse the sturdy industrial structure; construction began in April 2006 to turn it into a park, and in June 2009 it was officially opened as a beautiful public space 30 feet above street level.) And if you knew nothing of the High Line, this is a sweet "eco-fable" about how one li...more

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May 13, 2012 Christopher W. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: parents of 4-6 year old children

Shelves: reading-to-my-kids

I picked this book out of the Children's section of the Iowa State University library. Peter Brown writes a great book about Liam, a curious boy who in turn creates a garden--a garden that becomes a character in its own right, growing along the ruins of a railway in an industrial hell of a city. Gradually the city is taken over organically by the garden, which creates amazing green space in ways that transform the cityscape. Zalea in particular really likes it, as she can see how people need Gre...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, books-i-want-to-own

I picked up The Curious Garden from the library, which came recommended by the nature moms blog I read. When reading I couldn't help but think wow, this sounds just like the High Line Park in Manhattan (that I have yet to see but hear about from friends and family) and low and behold it is based in part on that park! A fairly new park, it uses the old elevated High Line train-tracks, built in 1930 and unused since the 1980s, to create a beautiful garden and public space.

Author Pete Brown notes...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Jim Erekson rated it 4 of 5 stars

For a book with a message, I should be at a 2 or 3. But the illustrations evoked an immediate response in me that made me read and reread the book a few times. Maybe it reminded me of when I was a kid and grandma let us draw on the big formica table in the kitchen. We would design complicated cityscapes from a bird's eye view--with the idea that we would play cars and other toys on the plan, but somehow we never got to the playing just the designing. Just a lot of fun to look at and see the pale...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Cara Stone rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-book, s571, s571-2000-or-newer, early-elementary, preschool

A boy discovers a discarded garden in his city of grey and decides to nurture it. Through his hard work and love the garden soon spreads throughout the railway and out into the city, creating new gardeners in unexpected places. The illustrations are the real charmer of this book, done with acrylic and gouache. Recommended.

Setting: City, abandoned railway
Period: Past
Grade/Age Level: Preschool-2nd grade
Young Liam lived in a dreary, dark city. One day he came across abandoned train tracks and saw...more

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