Wooden Chair is narrated by a third person omniscient. He tells the story of two orphaned siblings and their journey to overcoming poverty. Judy Ann, 10 years old, and John Lloyd, 7 years old, were named by their mother after her favorite actress and actor. To provide for the two of them, Judy Ann no longer goes to school but instead, sells root crops that she plants in their small backyard, and fruits and vegetables that she picks up from the floor of the public market. To cope with feelings of abandonment, Judy Ann talks to their imaginary mother who guides and encourages her.