In Catford Street, London, there was not so much as a blade of grass, nothing that was not man-made; the poor streets of a big city hide earth and earth's power of growth under bricks, mortar, asphalt, and paving stones. An Episode of Sparrows is the story of how two of the Street children made a garden in these unpromising surroundings. It was a little garden, but, as Vincent the restaurant-keeper said, nothing is just itself, and this story, which begins with the dropping of a packet of cornflower seeds on the pavement, ends in the changing of several people's lives; not only the children's, but Vincent's and the rich Miss Chesneys' in the Square.
Rumer Godden's simplicity is that of art; under it lies a depth of feeling and experience which is beyond the scope of most novelists practicing today. This book has poetry, humor, compassion, and profound understanding; not only that, from page to page you will want to find out what happens.
—from the dust jacket
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