Robin Pace, illustrator and author, introduces young readers to the topic of seed dissemination in her book, Seeds Move. Written for children 3-8 years old, the book uses vivid illustrations, simple sentences, and lively humor to show how various seeds get to a place where they can germinate and grow. The author emphasizes the action word by making it the largest word on the page and then gives a sentence using the word and explaining it. We learn that a touch-me-not flower burst open and catapults seeds in all directions, that seeds of the durian fruit are so bitter that an orangutan squirts out the seeds after eating the fruit, and that the undigested seeds of mountain ash berries plop our of a beer in its poop. Other seeds drift in the ocean, hitchhike on the fir of a mammal, and parachute with the wind. Children see many action verbs used in perhaps a new way and see the relationship between plants and animals in spreading plants all over the earth.
As charming as the concept and illustrations, there are some problems. For example, the opening sentence of the book states that a tiny seed can become a flower or fruit, which is not exactly true; it may become a giant tree, as is also included in the opening sentence, but the relationship between a seed and flower or fruit is not as direct as implied. Another example is provided by the statement that a seed burrows, but in fact the seed is dragged underground by ants, as explained in the accompanying text, so why say it burrows as though it has an active role in the process? Yup, these are picky criticisms that in no way interferes with the enjoyment of the book by young children and I look forward to sharing it with my granddaughters.
To buy Seeds Move from Amazon.com Click Here.
Karen Meyers