plants

How Does a Seed Grow?

| Tasha

How Does a Seed Grow? by Sue Kim, photographs by Tilde

A visually interesting book all about seeds, sprouts and the harvest.  Each page is dedicated to one kind of seed complete with photographs of the seeds.  That then unfolds to show a large photograph of the seedling in a cutaway format that shows below the ground to the roots and up above the ground for the leaves.  Readers then unfold the page one more time to see a photograph of a child holding the fruit or vegetable.  The text is very simple and rhyming.  The illustrations are the heart of this book.  It is a book guaranteed to fascinate children not only with the unfolding pages but with the details of the seeds and seedlings.

The book covers tomatoes, blueberries, bell peppers, peas and oranges.  The brief rhymes do give a sense of the needs of plants from loose dirt to warmth to water and sunshine.  Readers will enjoy looking at the differences in the shapes and sizes of the seeds and the different ways that the seeds grow.  The children pictured with the fruits and vegetables are multicultural.  One quibble is that some of the pictures are a little blurred, which is noticeable when compared with the crispness of the other images. 

This book will work well in a classroom setting or in a story time focused on spring and plants.  The foldout pages will not survive circulation at a library for long unless they are reinforced with tape.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

The King and the Seed

| Tasha

The King and the Seed by Eric Maddern, illustrated by Paul Hess

King Karnak has no heir and is coming to the end of his reign.  So he puts out a call for anyone who wants to be king to come and join in a competition.  Knights come from across the land, ready for the battle to begin.  But the king surprises them all by handing each one of them a seed and asking them to bring it back in six months to show what they have grown.  A boy, Jack, who came only to witness the competition, gets a seed for himself.  Jack tries and tries to make his seed grow, but nothing works and six months later he heads back to the castle.  There he finds the knights with armloads of plants, huge flowers, all different from one another.  Jack doesn’t want to admit his defeat to the king, so what’s a boy to do?

Maddern’s storytelling has a great flair, filled with small touches and humor that really bring the story to life.  The book has a strong message that is not overdone.  It also has a classic folk tale format that is mixed with a modern storytelling style, creating a very engaging book.  Hess’ illustrations are bright-colored and offer interesting perspectives on the action.  They will work well with a group.

Ideal for reading aloud, this book is a great modern folktale that emphasizes the importance of honesty.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

A Seed Was Planted

| Tasha

A Seed Was Planted by Toulla Palazeti, illustrated by Pamela Barcita

From a single seed being planted, people share shoots of the plant.  With friends, neighbors and family members who each take it in turn, plant it and then pass on a shoot to another person.  The book uses the refrain of “It grows,” as each person plants their shoot.  In the end, the small plants grow and grown until they are trees large enough to climb.  The book speaks to the wonder of seeds, the power of sharing and the way that one small idea can lead to transformation.

Author Palazeti keeps the text very simple with only one sentence per page.  This makes it ideal for new readers of both English and Spanish.  This simplicity of language belies the depth of the story and its gentle and powerful message.  Barcita’s illustrations are realistic and very friendly.  Readers get to see each sharing of the tree along with a framed image of the newly potted shoot.  The different pot styles and settings speak firmly to our differences as well as our commonalities. 

Recommended for new readers in either English or Spanish, this book is universal in its message and appeal.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

This book comes in both English and bilingual English/Spanish.  I reviewed from an ARC of the bilingual version that I received from the publisher.