The Tiny Seed

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This picture book admirably conveys the miracle of a seed. Flower pods burst and dispatch their seeds on the wind; the air-borne seeds are subject to myriad disasters; and the ones that make it through the perils of the seasons to become mature flowering plants are still susceptible to being picked, trod upon and otherwise damaged. But nature allows for survivors, and so the tiny seed grows into a giant flower, releasing its seeds and continuing the cycle. As he has demonstrated with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books, Carle has an extraordinary kinship with nature. Here we have not just the explanation of the life of a flower, but drama, lessons of life and a lovely spirituality. This is a reissue of the original 1970 edition, with expanded, expansive collage illustrations. The pages, like the seed pods, burst with color. Ages 4-8. (March)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Steve Lavis looks at animals foreign and domestic with two Peek-Through Board Books. On the Farm follows the wooly sheep as he searches out who has eaten its breakfast. As each page is turned, more animals become visible through the die-cut spaces. The culprits are found behind the tractor. In the Jungle follows the same format, only this time a crocodile is in hiding. "Here I am!" shouts the crocodile on the last spread. Then he asks, "Who wants to hide next?" ( Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

The fascinating cycle of plant growth is described in this board book by Eric Carle. It opens with autumn when the wind blows seeds into the air. Out of all the seeds that start the journey only a few make it to the ground in winter. Along the way some have been burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean to feed the fish, landed on a frozen mountain top or fallen onto the dry, inhospitable desert sands. It is not even safe on or in the ground. Birds feed on the seeds and mice nibble others that are in the ground. Finally, spring arrives and the seeds start to grow. Still there are dangers because weeds can grab all of the sun and rain that the little seeds need, but several manage to sprout. Once again all is not safe because a big human foot crushes one of the plants, and the flowers are so attractive that they are picked. During the summer one little seed survives and it grows into an enormous plant with the biggest flower that anyone had ever seen. Autumn comes and the entire cycle repeats. The collage illustrations are attractive and tell the story without needing to read the words. The board book version works from the standpoint of the illustrations, but there is a large amount of text in small type so the book's appeal may be to younger children with fairly long attention spans. This is part of the "A Classic Board Book" series. 2005, Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, Ages 4 to 7.
—Marilyn Courtot

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

The fascinating cycle of plant growth is described in this board book by Eric Carle. It opens with autumn when the wind blows seeds into the air. Out of all the seeds that start the journey only a few make it to the ground in winter. Along the way some have been burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean to feed the fish, landed on a frozen mountain top, or fallen onto the dry, inhospitable desert sands. It is not even safe on or in the ground. Birds feed on the seeds and mice nibble others that are in the ground. Finally, spring arrives and the seeds start to grow. Still there are dangers because weeds can grab all of the sun and rain that the little seeds need, but several manage to sprout. Once again all is not safe because a big human foot crushes one of the plants, and the flowers are so attractive that they are picked. During the summer one little seed survives and it grows into an enormous plant with the biggest flower that anyone has ever seen. Autumn comes and the entire cycle repeats. The collage illustrations are attractive and tell the story without needing to read the words. The board book version works from the standpoint of the illustrations, but there is a large amount of text in small type so the book's appeal may be to younger children with fairly long attention spans. In this reissue there is a piece of seeded paper to grow flowers with instructions for planting them included on the inside cover. Part of "The World of Eric Carle" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot