Seed Magic

by Jane Buchanan, Charlotte Riley-Webb (Illustrator)

In a barren, gray city, Rose dreams of gardens full of red and yellow and blue flowers.

Rose and her brothers mock crazy old Birdman, who sits in his wheelchair all day feeding seeds to the pigeons. Birdman says pigeons are beautiful, but Rose dreams of gardens like the ones she sees in her library books. So when Birdman fills Rose's hands with slick, black seeds and tells her they are magic, she plants the seeds outside her window and waits. Soon, like Birdman promised, a garden appears before her eyes--a singing flurry of red and yellow and blue, drawn to Rose's window by seed magic.

Jane Buchanan's rhythmic prose and Charlotte Riley-Webb's vibrant and striking illustrations bring to life a story of community, connection, hope, and unexpected beauty.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Disability

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This doesn't seem like a book I would like, but it's just so pretty! The blue, red, and yellow of lupines, geraniums, and sunflowers are present in all the pages. The text reads like a song, so it's a very artsy book. I probably won't read it to my PreK, as I don't think they would find the beauty in it, but I surely did!

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this in the gardening section of the kids area at the library and wow! what a magical story. The illustrations are gorgeous and the way the man who feeds the birds shares joy with Rose is beautiful and unforgettable… she gets the most beautiful (and surprising) garden — with patience.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl receives magic seeds to grow a garden from the local "Birdman". Although the seeds don't grow, they attract colorful birds to make a beautiful singing garden.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it's hard to find beauty when you live in a city. When Rose and her brothers watch the man they call Birdman feed the pigeons, they tease him because they don't understand his affection for the birds. In Rose's eyes, beauty comes in the form of gardens filled with "blue lupines, red geraniums, yellow sunflowers" (unpaginated). When Birdman gives her some seeds, she plants them on the windowsill and waits. What happens next surprises her, but helps her see possible magic in the world around her.

Although the ending surprised me and I felt a bit sad that Rose didn't have soil or water for the seeds, I also loved the book's message about seeing the beauty around you. The acrylic illustrations allow readers to see the hope and delight on Rose's face as well as the rapid movement of the birds who come to her window.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose and her brothers make fun of the old man who feeds the pigeons all day long from his wheelchair. When Rose asks him why he likes pigeons so much, he tells her how beautiful they are. But Rose can’t see it at all; she thinks that gardens are much more lovely than birds. So Birdman gives her some seeds to put outside her window and grow a garden on her windowsill. Rose knows that it won’t work, since there’s no dirt for them to grow in, but Birdman is insistent that they will grow a garden on her bare windowsill. Her brothers make fun of her for even trying, but Rose starts to dream of the incredible flowers that could sprout there. Then one day, something magical does happen, much to her surprise and delight.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.

[Hannah Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy old Birdman is always feeding the birds in the park. Rose doesn't think birds are beautiful, she thinks gardens are beautiful. Birdman tells her to put magic seeds out on her window sill. Rose is disappointed no flowers grow on her window sill. But one day beautiful, colorful birds come to eat the seeds and she sees the beauty in the birds.

I love the use of color in this book! The illustrations are so beautiful and colorful. The relationship with Rose and Birdman is also very sweet.

This book illustrates seeing the beauty in everything, which is an important lesson for kids to learn. The characters in this book are black, so black children might be able to relate to this book better than books with white characters.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose dreams of beautiful gardens. She shares her dreams with an old man in a wheelchair who is feeding pigeons at the city park. He gives her some “magic” seeds and instructs her to place them on her concrete windowsill. In this colorful, beautifully illustrated picture book Rose discovers that seeds can grow a brightly colored garden in unexpected ways. This simple picture book is perfect for preschoolers.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appeal characteristics: modern art feel, unique story aspect

I'm not sure how to describe this book. I'm not sure if the message is look at the ugly and make it beautiful...or crazy people aren't necessarily crazy? It has remnants of fairy tale/fable elements but I felt the storyline did not quite connect. The art almost overshadows the story itself as I was more interested to how the book was illustrated than about the story at all!

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colorful illustrations are absolutely fabulous. There is movement, joy, and a celebration of African American heritage.

The text is brief and reflects an inner city dialect. Yes, the grammar isn't "correct" but it is definitely authentic. I can hear Rose, her brother, and the bird man speaking exactly like this in their home environment.

The themes of seeing beauty in unexpected places and forming neighborhood relationships are both positive and heartwarming.

[Shelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. I didn't like the broken up way the characters in this book spoke. Not 1 person spoke in a complete sentence, grammar so bad that I would feel the need to instruct after every sentence "Now how could you say or right that correctly?"

[Malissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is on the Fountas and Pinnell genre list from their latest book. They apparently see something I don't. The wording was weird, the story ends too quickly without showing character change. It won't make my list!

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Lynne Vanderveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. Good idea. Writing - ah, not so much. There was a lack of cadence to the speech of the characters that I found awkward.

[Danielle]

That surprise ending really got me! Lovely. Yes, expect the unexpected and see things differently.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose wants a garden, when she gets a handful of magic seeds what kind of garden will she grow?

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colorful, vibrant illustrations don't quite jell with the awkward rhyming text.