QUOTE : Of all the treats in the entire world—celery sticks, baby carrots, orange slices—Gulliver liked dandelions best. It took him less than five seconds to eat an entire stem, and then he’d root around for more. For Gulliver, dandelions were a rare delicacy. For humans, they were noxious weeds that needed to stop growing. But grow they did. Dandelions were everywhere in Virgil’s neighborhood. They sprouted from the cracks in the sidewalk, leaned against rusty fence posts, sneaked into well-manicured lawns. Virgil plucked them habitually, like an explorer searching for gems. By the time he reached the woods, his left pocket was stuffed with them. He could have stuffed the other pocket, too, but he was saving that for the stones.