Hope for the Flowers - affectionately referred to as simply The Caterpillar Book in my household - has been the most read story on our shelves since Ryder's birth. I just learned that it is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year which comes as no surprise to me: its liberal, anti-system sentiment still resonates just as profoundly today as it did four decades ago. An adult story masked as a children's book, with innocently simple black and white (and yellow) illustrations, Hope for the Flowers should have a spot on every bookshelf, and in every heart.
