The Gardener of Alcatraz

February 15, 2022
Grades K-3 In 1941, convicted counterfeiter Elliott Michener was sent to Alcatraz prison. There he plotted his escape, until he was assigned to work as a landscaper and discovered his passion for gardening. Smith details Michener's horticultural activities at Alcatraz, his subsequent transfer to a less-secure facility at Leavenworth, time spent on work release at a Wisconsin farm, and his eventual exit from the prison system. Ely's gouache-and-digital illustrations vividly contrast the foggy grayness of rocky Alcatraz Island with Michener's brilliantly hued flowers. As Michener's knowledge and skills blossom, so does the color palette; likewise, his transfer to Leavenworth is marked with a return to drab gray tones. The scenes are historically accurate, with the exception of one opening scene, in which the prisoners are shown on the deck of a prison boat (rather than secured inside) in order to depict their faces. Appended with generous back matter, this is an engaging, realistic portrayal of incarceration that highlights the value of rehabilitation without romanticizing Alcatraz.

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March 28, 2022
Elliott Michener (1906–1997) lies in bed on the prison island of Alcatraz, where he’s just arrived following conviction for counterfeiting. Shadows of bars fall across his face as he contemplates escape. But after a good deed singles him out as “someone honest,” he’s charged with creating terraces for gardens beyond the prison fence. Finding the work fulfilling, Michener transforms the island, winning recognition as a gardener (“He even created his own narcissus hybrid,” Smith writes) and being “promoted” to handle personal housekeeping for the warden and his wife, whom he befriends. Ely’s vintage-style spreads trace the island’s outward transformation from drab to variously hued as “this gardening thing started to grow on” Michener—starting with colorful blooms that emanate from a book he reads in his cell. Though back matter eventually raises some contemporary issues around incarceration, this portrayal of Michener as a “jailbird” who grew “an honest-to-goodness green thumb” fails to interrogate its own uncontextualized portrayals around the U.S. prison system, including mentions of “riots” and “promotion” within prison labor. Ages 7–10.

April 1, 2022

Gr 1-3-Prisoners sent to the forbidding island prison Alcatraz had few opportunities for meaningful work, which makes the story of Elliot Michener quite remarkable. Michener, convicted counterfeiter, spent much of his early time there devising ways to escape. The opportunity to become a prison gardener, however, gave his life new meaning. Not only did he transform the drab land surrounding the prison into a landscape bursting with color, but Michener was invited to help out at the warden's house. Michener was eventually released from prison, after which he went to work on a farm in Wisconsin. Though this is the story of one man at one notorious prison, the author subtly conveys the need for more humane treatment of all prisoners given the possibility of better outcomes for their lives post-incarceration. The small amount of text on each page and the appealing artwork make this an engaging read. Michener and the other main characters are all white, while other prisoners are a variety of ethnicities, a fact not lost on the author, as she explains in a note. Pair this with Jennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts, also set on Alcatraz. Extensive back matter includes a time line, historical photographs, further information about Michener and Alcatraz, and a selected bibliography. VERDICT A fascinating look at a minor historical figure, sure to inspire discussion.-Sue Morgan

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