What's This?: A Seed's Story

by Caroline Mockford

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 marvellous 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.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Science, Gardening

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a load of old books I read to my children in their early years today, many like this are the type you could read with your eyes shut. This one was very popular, the illustrations are in the same lovely style Mockford uses for her Cleo books. In this story a little girl finds a seed, plants it and cares for it until it becomes a sunflower. She takes the dried head to school and the whole class plants one each. Some information on growing seeds on the back page.

Thoroughly enjoyed as a read aloud by my children, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the Cleo books but a very nice introduction to growing seeds and the cycle of an annual plant.

[Christina Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book to read with children when learning about or planting seeds.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl finds a seed in her garden, with the help of her friends, a little bird and a marmalade cat, they plant the seed and tend to it over the months wondering what it might become, when summer arrives the plant develops into a magnificent sunflower. When the girl brings the flower to school she realises that the seeds from this flower can be used to grow more flowers, the whole class are given a seed each and take to growing their own flowers.

I think this book would be most enjoyed by children in key stage 1, the illustrations throughout the book are vibrant and use bright acrylic paints. I think this book would also be perfect to teach a science lesson about the conditions a plant needs to grow, a plants life cycle as well as the four seasons. If I were to use this book in a classroom I would follow it up with a practical session with the children growing their own sunflowers and tending to them just like in the story. Furthermore, there is also a handy section at the back of the book explaining key words such as 'root', 'shoot' etc which could develop a child's understanding even further.

[Arwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful colorful book about a little girl finding a seed, planting it, caring for it and then sharing it. I really love how at the end she takes the ripe sunflower head to her teacher who helps her save the seeds, and then each child in her class gets to plant a sunflower the following spring. This would would go along very well with a class project on life-cycles and sunflowers. The extra info in the back makes it especially good for that type of use.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I guess the cat knew the seed was a seed, but the girl didn't? I couldn't quite get past that! Other than that, it was a quick, basic book of the life cycle of a sunflower seed. Very colorful illustrations. I think I would read it again.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute gardening book. 2 year old liked it too

[Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story in which a little girl helps a sunflower grow. We witness the various stages of growth and finally the little girl gives the seeds out to all her friends so they will all get pretty flowers the following year. Loved the illustrations - there's something really warm about them.

[Edna]

Nice preschooler book illustrating the life-cycle of a seed and sunflower. The illustrations are simple, boldly colored, and easy to recognize the characters.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story that details the growth of a seed in easy words for preschoolers