The Green Baby Swing

When Xavier’s Nana passes away, Xavier and his mother work on clearing out her attic. Xavier is the first to go up. He puts on a bike helmet and grabs a wooden spoon from the kitchen to fight off any monsters or dragons he may encounter. Xavier and his cat, Comet, head up to the attic and peer in. Being dusty and gloomy, it looks very much like a dragon’s cave, but he finds that it is filled with lots of boxes and interesting looking items. He finds an old tricycle, a train set, a jewelry box, and old stuffed animals.

Xavier’s mother soon joins him. They are both sad about Nana’s passing, and she explains to him that they will keep her memory alive through stories. These stories can be found in the boxes in the attic. As they open box after box, they find an abundance of surprises and many things that remind Xavier of his Nana, as well as things from when his mother was a little girl. At the bottom of one box, Xavier pulls out a green blanket. As seen in the illustration, it is a soft green that looks worn yet well taken care of. His mother tells him that it is a baby swing she used to carry Xavier when he was a baby, and that Nana carried her when she was a baby, too. Seeing the green baby swing after so long brings back wonderful memories for Xavier’s mother. She sings him a song and shows him how the baby swing works by putting Comet into it, and, together, she and Xavier sing the song. They continue to sort through the boxes and look at old photos, and Xavier’s mother tells her son stories from her childhood and of Nana. They fall asleep together with the green baby swing and happy memories of Nana.

King has written a sweet and beautiful book that focuses around death, the power of intergenerational love, and the importance of memory. These are topics that young children may struggle to understand, and King’s story explains these concepts through the eye of a young boy in a way that would be relatable to all ages. Readers know right away that Xavier has lost his Nana, but, by going through her things, Xavier becomes closer to her by learning stories about the things that he finds in boxes. Most people have many sentimental items that they keep throughout their lives, such as cherished books, baby keepsakes, photo albums, and so on. Such sentimental items often come with fond memories of loved ones that can be shared with other friends and family. This is what Xavier’s mother means when she tells him, “We’ll make sure to keep her in our stories.”

For Xavier’s mother, seeing the green baby swing again brings her closer to her own mother as well as remembering when her son was a baby. It is a special item that has at least three generations of memories, and it helps Xavier learn a little about his family history. Kang’s beautiful watercolour and pencil illustrations show the characters’ emotions so well and the power that comes with sharing memories and stories of family history and loved loves. The Green Baby Swing is recommended for young readers to enjoy with their caregivers, and it could encourage them to explore their own family stories.