Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move

by JoAnn Early Macken, Pam Paparone (Illustrator)

Explore how seeds travel from the plants they form on to the places they'll grow!

Spinning like a shiny green helicopter, a maple seed floats on the wind. Where will it land? Seeds splash away in raindrops, slide across the snow, and hitch rides on birds and animals—and even people's clothing.

For anyone who's ever blown the fluff of a dandelion and wondered where it went, this is the perfect introduction to plant life cycles and seed dispersals for young readers. The simple, poetic text is paired with detailed illustrations and close-ups of seeds, pods, and other parts of plants.

A brief illustrated glossary and a note on why seeds travel so far is included. Perfect for fans of Gail Gibbons' From Seed to Plant.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Nature, Plants, Nonfiction, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

JoAnn Early Macken is the author of six picture books, including Grow, Baby Says “Moo!”, Waiting Out the Storm, and Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move, and more than one hundred educational books for children. Her poems appear in many children’s magazines and anthologies, including Hop to It! Poems to Get You Moving and the Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Her poetry instruction guide Write a Poem Step by Step is based on her workshops.

JoAnn earned her M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has taught graduate, undergraduate, and continuing education writing courses at four Wisconsin colleges. She presents writing workshops for writers of all ages.

JoAnn lives in Shorewood, Wisconsin. Visit her web site at www.joannmacken.com.

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This poetic book takes a look at the fascinating world of seeds that fly through the air. I found this an especially appropriate book as my windows are filled with drifting cottonwood fluff, so thick it looks like a heavy snow in the air. Children will enjoy finding seeds that they know, like dandelions and maple tree seeds. Some of the seeds will be new, like the basswood or touch-me-nots which have interesting journeys they make.

The marriage of poetry and science is such a winning one here. Macken has created a book that doesn't shy away from making nature whimsical and fascinating. Paparone's illustrations add to the whimsical nature of the book too.

Whether you have cottonwood fluff floating by or not, this is the perfect season to enter into a discussion of seeds and to try your hand at spinning maple seed propellers to the ground. Recommended for ages 4-7.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quite wonderful in the way it describes and articulates the many ways seeds grow into so many wonderful things. It is very poetic and richly describes the ways with vibrant verbs. The beautiful drawings add another level to the already interesting and dynamic story. I love that there is a glossary that includes illustrations because it adds another layer to the educational and fun story. A must for anyone wanted to help children understand the importance and wonder of seeds in nature.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooner or later, kids and their parents notice a seed on the move-- maybe it's milkweed puffs; maybe it's burdock stickers; maybe it's twirling maple keys. [If you're really lucky, you get to pop an impatiens pod-- sproinggg!] Which leads to talking about other ways seeds travel to new places (at least, if you and your kids are curious about the natural world). Enter this nicely illustrated picture book about how seeds travel. Lots of onomatopoeia in the action words, clear, simple illustrations, and a bouncing rhythm (though the rhythm is a bit bumpy), with one plant/seed type per two-page layout.
I'd pair this one with A Seed Is Sleepy, though this might work for a younger crowd than that one.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explore how seeds travel from the plants they form on to the places they'll grow!

Spinning like a shiny green helicopter, a maple seed floats on the wind. Where will it land? Seeds splash away in raindrops, slide across the snow, and hitch rides on birds and animals--and even people's clothing.

For anyone who's ever blown the fluff of a dandelion and wondered where it went, this is the perfect introduction to plant life cycles and seed dispersals for young readers. The simple, poetic text is paired with detailed illustrations and close-ups of seeds, pods, and other parts of plants.

A brief illustrated glossary and a note on why seeds travel so far is included. Perfect for fans of Gail Gibbons' From Seed to Plant.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be so good for a science-literacy crossover because it has a lot of awesome onomatopoeia and alliteration, along with interesting science suitable for grades 2+

[Kathy Brower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for teaching littles about seeds. Perfect spring read.

[Tammey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoy this book so much, explained about seeds and what happens seeds flowers melons important of butterflies

[Claire Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative with beautiful illustrations. Great to use for lessons about literary devices like alliteration, simile, metaphor, or onomatopoeia.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun fact: tumbleweeds are not just random dried-out plants blowing through the desert. They're supposed to do that--that's how they spread their seeds. *The more you know*

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book about seeds. It shows different types of seeds and how they can travel from place to place. Some of these seeds will be planted and grow, and some will not. There are illustrations depicting flowers, trees, fruit, and parts of plants. Seeds are shown to travel in many different ways.

I love the pictures in this book. This book has a lot of vocabulary in it. I like how the book shows how interconnected the things in the world are.

This would be a great book to use when talking about parts of a plant and the stages of plant growth. It could also be used when teaching about the basic needs of plants.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles how a variety of seeds are spread and replanted, and identifies a variety of plant-related vocabulary. It could be used in conjunction with a plant themed curriculum to talk about how seeds are spread and grow, and given the variety represented in the book, could also be used to talk about different ecosystems. As there are detailed pictures in the book, it could also be used to find seeds in the children's environment, and the children could practice moving or spreading the seeds, contrasting their results with the book's descriptions. The explicit vocabulary present in the book could further enhance the child's knowledge base about plants and seeds.

[Jessica Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flip, Float, Fly by Joann Early Macken is a beautiful nonfiction book that teaches about how different kinds of seeds move around. Macken uses poetic language that flows and makes it fun to read. Pam Paparone's illustrations are really beautiful.

This would be a great book to use in a classroom. The poetic feel makes it easy to read and makes for a really good read aloud. The pictures are really good about showing what the seeds look like. This would be great to read along with a science unit on plants. And after reading this book, the students would be able to identify certain kinds of seeds when they see them around. I would recommend this book for early elementary.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books focuses on the life cycle of plants, looking at how seeds spread and grow plants. Each page shows a different seed and a different way that they germinate.

The illustrations are gentle acrylics that highlight the beauty of nature. There is also an inset on each page that shows a closer look at the different seeds.

[Kelli Dana]

Science Fiction:
This books talks about all the different forms of seeds. It talks about how they travel and how they grow. This book is fiction because of the picture and the rhyming of all the words. This book is wonderful for an introduction to how plants grow.
This books is best served for kindergarten or first grade.

[Seher Patka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book illustrates how seeds are transferred from one place to another. It talks about the different factors that affect the seeds' flight. It also introduces students to different kinds of plant seeds. Integrates: science and literature.

[Rebecca Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for both science and rhyme. This book goes through the process of a seed turning into a plant. It talks about the different ways in which a seed can be transfered. It also has different activities in the back about what to do with different seeds. The illustrations are great!

[Ms. Bernards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make for a wonderful read-aloud in a primary classroom where students are learning about growing plants. Seeds of all sorts "Flip, Float, and Fly" across the pages just as they do in real-life.

[Savannah Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very educational in dealing with science. It gives pictures and explanations on how many different seeds are planted, whether by man or nature, along with what the seeds look like and turn into.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are not exactly my favorite style, but they work. This book is great to introduce young children to the concept of seeds, plants and growth. It pairs well with other garden books and would be a good addition to a new storytime kit.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to use with a science lesson on plants.

[Heather Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

COMMON CORE, INFORMATIONAL TEXT, NARRATIVE TEXT, SEEDS, PLANTS

- Plants
- Seeds
- Pre-K - First/Second grade
- How seeds/plants spread

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information about seeds accompanied by illustrations with features like cutaways, insets, diagrams, and an author's note at the end. Perfect for young children!

[Sandybear76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

part of the book order for science adoption.

How seeds get from one place to another.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent nonfiction about seeds, explaining in lyrical prose the basics of plant reproduction for young children. Illustrations are detailed and vibrant. Highly recommend.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great living book for preschool age!

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, factual language and life connections will make this book a winner in a classroom or library. Definitions with pictures at the end really solidify the information. Lovely!

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a good book to read when classes are studying seeds and plants.

[Natalie Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are rich and vibrant, but the text left me a little disappointed.