Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Fruit Is a Suitcase for Seeds
Illustrator: Anca Hariton
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Lerner, 2006 ISBN: 978-0822559917
Most of us are aware that fruits have seeds. When we bite into an apple, we have to eat around the core, which has bitter tasting seeds inside it. What many of us don’t really realize, is that seeds have a story, and it is a very important story.
Seeds of course are the little (or sometimes big) containers of life that grow into new plants. It is very important that they are able to travel because if they don’t, “too many plants would grow in one place.” To take care of this problem some seeds travel on the wind, while others travel in water or on the coats or feathers of animals.
Some seeds are sneaky though. They wrap themselves in tasty fruits to attract birds and animals to eat them. The fruit, which is often sweet and brightly colored, “is like a suitcase for the seeds. It protects them on their trip.”
Some fruits have one big seed inside of them, like cherries and apricots. Other fruits have lots of tiny seeds inside them, like bananas, and blueberries. Some of the berries like strawberries and raspberries have a different approach. They put their seeds on the outside of the fruit.
This beautifully illustrated picture book will help young readers to understand that fruits have a very special purpose in nature. After they have read the book and looked at the pictures, it is likely that they will look at the fruits they eat in a new way. After all, they are not just eating a peach anymore, they are eating a seed suitcase!
