Remember to share this at harvest and Halloween time for a fresh and wonderfully tame autumn tale.
From the moment of planting, a little seed wishes for the ability to be truly frightening.
It is fall, and a small pumpkin seed smiles from the garden. As the season passes, it attempts to scare whatever comes near it with a “Boo.” Try though the seed might, neither leaf, grub nor snowflake is impressed. But the wind is reassuring: “It’s not time for scaring….Not yet. Be patient. You’ll be scary soon enough.” With those wise words, the wind then blows “soil over the seed to keep him from the cold.” Spring arrives, and the seed awakens. Reaching for the sun, he is now a little sprout with attitude. Curly tendrils make him look a little fierce, but an old boot, shovel and watering can pay him no mind. The growth continues as he adds more leaves, blooms with orange flowers and produces small green fruit. Only when he has matured into a large pumpkin and transformed into a jack-o’-lantern does his “BOO!” get him his wished-for results. Wunderli’s new take on the life cycle of a seed works well as a metaphor for a young child’s desire to grow. Zeltner’s lush illustrations created with paint, glazes and stains on wood shine with gentle charm and lend appealing texture to the various natural scenes.
Remember to share this at harvest and Halloween time for a fresh and wonderfully tame autumn tale. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9708-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
This pleasant look at gardening in a city setting reflects a growing trend.
Several inner-city children work together to plant seeds and cultivate their own gardens, transforming their little “anywhere farms” into a lush, green community garden covering a vacant city lot.
A pink-cheeked little girl in overalls receives a single seed from a helpful tan-skinned neighbor on the title page, and she then inspires a flurry of gardening in her neighborhood with children and adults of different ethnicities joining in, including a white boy who uses a wheelchair. The bouncy, rhyming text conveys the basic requirements of growing plants from seeds as well as suggesting a wide variety of unusual containers for growing plants. Several leading questions about the plant growth cycle are interspersed within the story, set in large type on full pages that show a seed gradually sprouting and growing into a huge sunflower on the final, wordless page. The joyful text makes growing flowers and vegetables seem easy, showing plants spilling out of alternative containers as well as more traditional raised beds and the concluding, large garden plot. The text focuses on the titular concept of an “anywhere farm,” without differentiating between farms and gardens, but this conceit is part of the amusing, rollicking tone. Detailed, soft-focus illustrations in mixed media use an autumnal palette of muted green, peach, and tan that don’t quite match the buoyant flavor of the cheerful text.
This pleasant look at gardening in a city setting reflects a growing trend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7499-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative.
What can a worm do?
A little worm sets off on a “twirl” to “see the world.” But when it overhears a human referring to it as “just a worm,” its feelings are hurt. The worm asks other critters—including a caterpillar, a spider, a dragonfly—what they can do. After each answer (turn into a butterfly, spin silk thread, fly), the worm becomes more and more dejected because it can’t do any of these things. “Maybe I am just a worm.” But then the worm encounters a ladybug, who eats aphids and other insects, and the worm realizes that it eats dead plants and animals and keeps gardens clean. And though the worm can’t pollinate like the bee, it does create castings (poop) that help plants grow and stay healthy. These abilities, the worm realizes in triumph, are important! The cleverness of this story lies in its lighthearted, effective dissemination of information about various insects as well as earthworms. It doesn’t hurt that the expressive little worm is downright adorable, with emotions that will resonate with anyone who has felt unimportant. The stunning illustrations are done in quilled paper—a centuries-old technique that involves assembling strips of colored paper into shapes—which adds sparkle and originality. A tutorial of how to make a quilled butterfly and a page on earthworm facts round out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-321256-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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