Title: Miss Maple’s Seeds
Author & Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler (interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast)
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2013
Book Type: Fiction
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Nature, Seeds
Excerpt:
She learns each seed by heart, all similar yet none the same. “Take care, my little ones,” Miss Maple says, “for the world is big and you are small.”
Synopsis (from Amazon website):
Fans of Miss Rumphius will adore this gorgeous picture book which introduces the kind, nature-loving Miss Maple, who celebrates the miracle in each seed.
Miss Maple gathers lost seeds that haven’t yet found a place to sprout. She takes them on field trips to explore places to grow. In her cozy maple tree house, she nurtures them; keeping them safe and warm until it’s time for them to find roots of their own, and grow into the magnificent plants they’re destined to become.
Eliza Wheeler’s luminous paintings feature gorgeous landscapes, lush foliage and charming details. Her tender story celebrates the potential found in each seed—since even the grandest tree and most brilliant flower had to grow from the smallest of seeds.
Celebrate every season with Miss Maple, from Earth Day to graduations to harvest festivals.
Activities:
- Activity sheets which include coloring sheets, filling in the missing items for Miss Maple’s house and garden, and a seed fact sheet.
- Booklist of additional “seed” related books, fiction & non-fiction.
- Plant something with your kids.
Why I Like This Book:
A magical, timeless book that leaves the reader with a sense of calmness that everything will be okay and the world is as it should be. There really is a Mother Nature and she is Miss Maple.
Miss Maple searches for lost seeds and takes them to her home. Where she cleans them up, teaches them about being a seed, reads stories to them, and eventually one day near the end of spring she sends them on their way, so they can find their own roots. Kids will enjoy the whimsicality of the story and the illustrations, such as the seeds taking a bubble bath or being snug in bed. Older readers and adults will appreciate the metaphor of the story, of nurturing, teaching young kids and then having to let them go to discover their own path. The artwork is gorgeous with its pen, ink, and watercolor drawing. Checkout Ms. Wheeler’s portfolio and be amazed.
My favorite parts from the book are:
- Near the end “take care , my little ones, for the world is big and you are small. But never forget …” (I love the next part but I’m not going to spoil it.)
- “In bustling gardens, seeds must take care to stay clear of weedy characters.” And there is a picture of some creepy weeds.
- The picture of all the different seeds: pine, water lily, pea, pumpkin, and more.
- Miss Maple giving the seeds a bath and reading bedtime stories by firefly light.
- Miss Maple’s teaching the seeds of what they will be doing next summer, traveling by air or water and learning to grow big and strong.
This book is good for storytime. It can also be used in classroom to complement science units about seeds and plants.
This review is part of Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book series. Visit her site to see the other books recommended.
Flowering Minds 