Parents' Guide to

Where the Watermelons Grow

By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Book about mental illness in family is real yet reassuring.

Book Cindy Baldwin Coming of Age 2018
Where the Watermelons Grow Poster Image

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What's the Story?

WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW begins in a hot, dry, North Carolina summer, when Della's mom starts to exhibit symptoms of serious mental illness. She's schizophrenic and has had episodes before, and Della tries desperately to help her mother get better by taking over household chores and caring for her baby sister, Mylie. But Mama increasingly ignores her parental responsibilities and worries unreasonably that someone's trying to hurt her girls. The family lives on a working farm, which also has its stresses. The severe drought is harming the crops. Can Della help Mama get better? Should she confide in her best friend or other concerned adults, or should she keep Mama's illness secret? Will Mama ever be a normal mother? If not, who can Della turn to for help and support?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (4):

This realistic but hope-tinged story, told by a girl whose mom is seriously mentally ill, manages to truthfully present the challenges while conveying a warm tenderness. In Where the Watermelons Grow, the fraught family situation feels tense in many ways. Mama neglects her responsibilities, leaving baby Mylie screaming in her crib, her diaper soiled. And because she worries someone's trying to harm her daughters, she nearly harms them herself, withholding food from Mylie, and soaking the kitchen with bleach. Author Cindy Baldwin makes clear that Della feels responsible for Mama's illness, since its onset was pregnancy. And she ventures into even more uncomfortable, unsettling territory when Della fears she herself may be genetically programed for schizophrenia later in life. Mama may get better, but she'll never be reliably normal. That's the unrosy reality Della has to live with.

Still, Baldwin has crafted a sweet, tender book. She stocks the story with folks who rally around Della, never abandoning her in her distress. Baldwin also has a lovely writing style that exudes warmth. She describes Mama, "her face relaxing and softening, the way the sky unwrinkles after a thunderstorm." And she's alert to the sensual detail of weather and place. "The sky above me was moody, with thick stacked-up gray clouds that blew across he sun like sailboats." This loving treatment of a difficult childhood never feels heavy and is filled with light.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the mom's mental illness in Where the Watermelons Grow. Do you know anyone who has a serious mental illness? How does it affect the person? How does it affect that person's family and others who love him or her?

  • What characters come forward to offer help to Della and her family? Do you have other adults or families you can turn to if you need help? How does your own family offer help to others?

  • Do you know much about farms and farm communities? Did you learn anything about crops and cultivation from the story? How does the setting affect and influence the story?

Book Details

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