Grace's mystery seed by Juliet M. Sampson
Illus. by Karen Erasmus. Ford Street Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925804201.
(Ages: 3-8) Themes: Neighbours, Gardening, Sunflowers. Grace's
neighbour has the best garden in the whole street. It has a veggie
patch, chooks, a fish pond, fruit trees and a friendly neighbour
called Mrs Marino. Grace loves helping Mrs Marino feed the fish and
pick the fruit, but feeding the birds is her favourite job. 'Polly
likes these stripy seeds . . . What are they from?', Grace asks. Mrs
Marino shows Grace where and how to plant the seeds so that they can
see what will grow from them. Grace waits and waits and her seed
starts to sprout, then it has leaves and before 'long it is much
taller than her. Eventually, it has a bud right at the very top and
one sunny day it opens: a sunflower!' Mrs Marino explains to Grace
how sunflowers always turn towards the sun and Grace patiently
watches all day to track its movements.
This is a lovely story that indirectly explains the life cycle of a
seed and different elements of caring for a plant. It is perfect for
classes exploring plant life and is a simple activity that children
can emulate themselves. Grace's excitement and fascination with
watching her plant grow is infectious and will definitely incite
other children to become more curious about gardening. The writing
and illustrations are simple but pleasant and the story itself is
well-written and a cheerful read-aloud.
Nicole Nelson