Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Seed is Sleepy
Illustrator: Sylvia Long
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 10
Chronicle Books, 2007 ISBN: 978-0811855204
A seed is not to be hurried. When it is ready it will emerge from its shell, and not a moment sooner. Most seeds rest quietly for a season or two but there are some that lie dormant for ten years or even more. For us seeds are often wonderful things for from many of them delicious fruits and other edible plants will grow. Others grow into splendid trees. One seed which is no bigger than a tiny freckle grows into the tallest of all trees – the mighty redwood. Other seeds will produce flowers of great beauty.
Many seeds will travel great distances carried on the wind, by water, or on the feathers on in the fur of birds and animals. They use whatever route is available to them and they take advantage of the world around them as best they can to germinate, to grow, to prosper, and to reproduce. Without them our world would indeed be a very barren and lifeless place.
This is a beautiful, vivid, and joyous celebration of seeds and their role in making our planet the beautiful and living place that it is today. The author and illustrator explore every aspect of seed biology and ecology helping us see how perfectly suited they are to their role and how dependent we are on them for our food and shelter. Every page is a joy to look at with gorgeous ink and watercolor illustrations flowing across the paper, each plant and seed being carefully annotated. The carefully researched text is both informative and entertaining, making what could be a dry subject interesting and engaging for readers of all ages.
Readers who enjoy this book might like to look at “An Egg is Quiet” also written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long.
