Children's Book Review of What's This? A Seed's Story

Celebrate Earth Day!
This book helps children become more aware of the natural world and of our role as its caretakers.

* What's This?
A Seed's Story
Written and Illustrated by: Caroline Mockford
"Irresistibly bright.... Captures the bubbly mood of spring." - Publishers Weekly
Share the excitement of a small girl who discovers how a tiny seed gradually grows into a beautiful sunflower, and how the sunflower makes new seeds for the following year. Caroline Mockford's delightful text and endearing illustrations make a marvelous introduction to the way in which plants grow. For teachers and parents, there is also a page of helpful advice on cultivating seeds and bulbs and on how to grow a sunflower den.

The little girl planted the seed carefully in the corner of her garden.
"What's this?" she asked the cat. The cat looked at the girl wisely.
"It's something that grows," she said, "You will have to give it some water."

I have always lived in the country and every Spring I look forward to planting seeds and watching them grow. I have passed down my skills of gardening to my grown up children and am reaping the rewards of watching them have their own gardens now.

Do you remember those school days when we returned home with a paper cup filled with soil? Inside were the new beginnings of a fresh green bean seed emerging from within.
What's This? A Seed Story has become one of my favorite paperback books. It was $7.99
and special offer price is $6.99 I recommend this book for 4-7 year old and one can read the book together for ages 0-4. It's about 32 pages filled with colorful
illustrations.

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=1413

The author and illustrator of this charming book, Caroline Mockford, has this to say:
"I see my pictures for books as an extension of my work as a fine artist. In both I use bold color harmonies and simple forms - I like the stories to be bold and simple too. I work in acrylics which dry quickly and can be handled in different ways to give a rich surface texture. I used to work as an infant teacher and that has helped me to understand how young children think, the sort of books they like and the things that interest them."

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/authors.php?aid=127
Awards and Honors:
American Bookseller "Kids' Pick of the Lists" 2000
Recent praise:
"The perspectives and line are childlike but sophisticated, and the colors combine in novel and arresting ways.... The composition, like the book itself, captures the bubbly mood of spring."- Publishers Weekly
"In early spring, a bird, a little girl and a cat find a seed, plant it, and watch it grow. As the months pass and the sunflower grows and blooms, the little girl cares for it, visits it, and even tells it "all her secrets.' When fall comes, the girl carries the huge blossom to school to share the seeds with her classmates, who start growing them during the winter. The next summer, "every child had a beautiful, smiling sunflower!'... A last page includes information on roots, shoots, flowers, seeds, and growing sunflowers." - School Library Journal
"The colorful, stylized acrylic illustrations, full of vibrant greens, oranges, and yellows, bring the timeless story to life. The layout is simple and clean, with the text in bold print, and the easy vocabulary and straightforward syntax are appropriate for the audience." - Booklist
Another book written by the same author that is in my library, Cleo The Cat, is a marvelous board book. Plus, another great one to own is Cleo's Alphabet Book. A review by Sonia Polinsky: "Alphabet books are numerous and great additions to a young child’s library. Learning letters, sounds, words, and descriptions are essential steps in a child’s educational progression.
This alphabet book by Caroline Mockford is one among the many alphabet books; however, the originality of her presentation makes for a nice breath of fresh air..."

http://www.curledupkids.com/cleoalph.html

Then there's prints to buy:
Thick, brilliant acrylics on lush watercolor paper create visual pleasure.' —School Library Journal

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=844
See the world through Caroline's eyes. Visit her website:

http://carolinemockford.com