Monday, August 6, 2012
Nonfiction Monday: Plant a little seed by Bonnie Christensen
This book leans more towards the fictional than, say, Galbraith's Planting the Wild Garden, but it's still a great read-aloud title for garden storytimes.
In addition to the general cycle - water, weed, wait, harvest, cook, preserve there are several pages showing how plants bud and produce fruit. The story also shows how different plants take varying amounts of time to be ready for harvest. The final page includes some additional facts about seeds and plants.
The language is beautiful and makes a great read-aloud, but what I really love about this story are the vibrant illustrations. Thick, black lines and lush color show the life and vigor of the garden as it grows from seed to harvest. Normally, I'd look for photographic illustrations so children can identify the plants shown, but the art in this book is so beautiful I'll gladly waive that requirement. I'd pair this with a painting project, maybe even letting the kids experiment with making outlines in permanent marker and filling them in to simulate the art style.
Verdict: A great read-aloud for storytime and the art and text are lovely. Highly recommended. Pair this with Aston's A Seed is Sleepy or Galbraith's Planting the Wild Garden to show how seeds are planted and germinate.