Seed School: Growing Up Amazing

by Joan Holub, Sakshi Mangal (Illustrations)

Welcome to the wondrous world of seeds! Just like people, seeds come in all shapes and sizes. In Seed School by Joan Holub, you'll meet the charming cast of characters who--with the help of soil, water, and sunshine--grow into vibrant fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

While some of the seed friends seem to sprout and grow up in just one season, one odd-looking seed with a cap takes many years to become the strong oak he was destined to be. Sakshi Mangal's delightful illustrations bring this whimsical story about friendship, diversity, and the natural world that surround us to life.

Grow on!

Genres: Picture Books, Plants, Childrens, Nature, School, Science, Gardening

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2018

About the author

NY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!

Reviews

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
“‘I have a spiffy hat,’ said the lost seed. ‘Maybe I will be a vine that grows hats.’
. . .

I am good at jokes,’ said the lost seed. ‘Maybe I will grow up to be a joke bush.

What did the dirt in the garden say when it rained?

If this rain doesn’t stop, my name will be mud!’

This is a cute children’s “picture” book that combines drawings with some basic earth science information for kids to learn how things grow. All illustrations are outlined and many are in full colour. Some pages have a mix of colour and black and white, and some are completely black and white like a colouring book.

There are lots of questions (this is for guided reading or classroom use), and there are opportunities to draw lines to connect things.

This is designed to be copied and coloured, which always appeals to me, and there is a little story about the “lost seed”, pretty obviously an acorn, with a spiffy “hat”. It is on the left on the cover.

The other seeds are native to the plot where the lost seed has fallen, so they know what they will grow into, but the acorn has to keep guessing. He’s come from somewhere else. There is some discussion about weeds and different kinds of plants.

Meanwhile, the seeds do exercises to practice being strong enough to push up the dirt when the time comes to dig in and grow.

Of course, there is a handsome oak tree at the end to colour in. And then another one that young artists are asked to add acorns to.

All in all, a worthy addition to any library, home or school to help kids learn to answer Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary’s age-old question: “How does your garden grow?”

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the huge preview copy from which I’ve quoted. I’m a fan of this one!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Font is easy to read. Artwork is SUPER ADORABLE!

I was excited about the artwork and how everything was styled. I flipped through this showing my boyfriend the artwork and the style of the book. He was confused but he doesn't have the same interest that I do in children's books.

The seeds are going through a similar school day as the students would go through.So, students have something familiar to latch onto in this story.

Garden of diversity -- the teacher asks how are they the same and their differences.

Anxiety/worry about not knowing yourself is present in this.

There's science, cultural/diversity differences, and personal identity crisis/learning about yourself. It is a super cute and useful book that would definitely be great to use with science lesson plans.

In summary: This is a cute educational story and worthwhile in a classroom library or used in a lesson plan.

Was given to me through Netgalley to read/review!

Review is here

[The Joana Edit || JR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read for my son. And if it is a quality book, even better.
The message of the book is lovely. Everybody has a place in this world. Even who looks different.
People should give themselves time, like the little seed, to see what are they achieving in this world. Sometimes may take longer but you may be even "bigger" and make the difference in this world!
Lovely drawings and kids can actually paint some of them!

The Book Worm

[Jess M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think this would be a great reference story to teach kids about plants and how they grow. I liked how it the seeds went to classes like P.E. to learn about being a seed and how they will grow up. I also liked how they addressed diversity and how the seeds were different but similar at the same time. The acorn was also really cute. I was not sure why the beginning of the book was in color and then the rest was in black and white---maybe it was for coloring I'm not sure. Overall, I think this would be a great classroom book for kids.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Richelle Zirkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seed School provides a great way to introduce several early scientific concepts to elementary age children. The seeds in the book are learning from Ms Petal what it means to be a seed. They learn about how seeds and plants develop. They learn they are all different in appearance and serve different purposes through their life cycles.

This title is endearing and relatable as the seed children navigate school. The illustrations are fun and colorful and the font is easy to read. The educational aspects sprinkled throughout the book enhance the story without taking away from the continuity of reading. This would be a great title to add to the science classroom, library or bookshelf at home.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute way of explaining Seeds and their purpose, perfect for my kindergartner.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute and loaded with facts. Perfect for an introduction to seeds and plants.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seed School is a great allegorical story about a young seed, just starting out in seed school who isn't sure what kind of plant he'll grow up to be. This book packs in a lot of information but is cute and funny and could be adapted to different age groups by picking and choosing what is read.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One day, a funny looking seed falls from the sky. He doesn't know what kind of plant he will one day grow up to become, but under the watchful eye of Ms. Petal in the garden's seed school, the little seed learns all about being a seed. He and his classmates take classes simular to ones children take in school (such as PE) but they are tailored to seed specific activities.
Seed School has a storybook feel to it and colorful illustrations, but it is more of a non-fiction book than it is a picture book. At times it gets a little technical before it picks up the story of the lost seed again. However, it is a fun introduction to seeds and plant life for young readers.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were unique and fantastic. I was expecting a good read aloud, but it was more scientific than I expected. It was too long for story time, unfortunately. I’m not quite sure who the audience for this book is... It’s super cute for little ones, but I think some of the science will go over their heads. Kids who definitely will understand the science are too old for the cute premise. It’s a good idea for a book, but I wish it would have chosen to be a story time book or a science book - not both.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked it. I suspect it would be a better lap book than a large group read aloud. It is charming and interesting, and there is a lot of fun to be had reading all the pictures.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about seeds and how they grow. It also has a subtle underlying message about self-worth and knowing where you fit in.

This is one of those fictional non-fiction books that is packed with useful information delivered through a story. A bunch of little seeds go to seed school and learn how they will develop into plants. Only the little acorn is unsure of what he is and what he's destined to become. It takes him a little longer than the other seeds, but eventually, he grows into something amazing.

This is a great choice if you're looking for educational books that teach kids about plants, seeds, gardening, nature, or growing up.

Source: The author sent me a copy of this book.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This extraordinarily inspiring-and-informative book delivers the full potential of its brilliant underlying concept.

And what concept is that? How seeds carry a great potential, but they don't all grow up at the same rate.

Parents who know they've been late bloomers will benefit from reading this picture book to children. But the children will benefit too. Unlike a sunflower or a pumpkin, no human child consciously knows what he or she will become.

Here, the underlying concept is that each seed becomes what it can become, and how long that takes is not negotiable.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: K-3rd grade
Nature: Seeds

A lonely seed drops from the sky and into a classroom where it learns all about various botanical processes, all while wondering what kind of plant it will grow up to be. Treading the fiction/nonfiction line, Holub educates listeners with a generous amount of science vocabulary while keeping listeners engaged in the characters and storyline. Perfect for the classroom or for the vocabulary-hungry.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeds are in school learning how to grow into big plants. They learn about roots, stems, pollen & pollinators, photosynthesis, general types of plants, and how they spread.

This is a fictional setting, but actually teaches basics of plant growth and the plant cycle pretty well. I was particularly impressed by the way they broke down photosynthesis into steps kids can grasp while still being technically correct. This is a fun way to learn about plants for kids.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lost seed happens to drop in (literally blown in) on seed school, joining other little seeds in class. All the other seeds know what they will grow to become, except for this lost seed, the one with the funny hat. What will it grow to become?

This is a cute book that has a whole bunch of science interwoven into the story and class lessons. What a fun way to learn about how seeds grow into the plants their made to be!

[Jeanine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this one. I thought it had a lot of potential. In the end they tried to do too much and made several factual errors/omissions/misleading ideas that were unfortunate. The book does have some good information, but it feels long and gets a bit lost in all the other extra bits on the page. I did think the songs were a cute touch. The jokes seemed to be at a higher level than the rest of the book so I don't think they would land as well.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seed School is a great little story about the beginnings of a seed.
At Seed School they learn all about how they will grow, how they create their own food and release oxygen in to the air. A really nice way of learning more about plants and seeds. 4 stars - there are some little jokes thrown in along the way that little ones will love!

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

some picture books are just a simple story with no point. and then some picture books make a great point but with an overly complex story. this picture book manages to find the perfect balance between the two -- an adorable story that doesn't get too complex and teaches some great points.

[OnceUponALibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would be fine to do as a read aloud when studying plants. I did not find the story very well written in fact I felt confused about who is narrating. It starts in third person then switches to “we” and continues to go back-and-forth.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lost seed in seed school doesn't know what he will grow up to be. He faithfully studies about seeds and wonders until it is time to sprout.

A good book for learning all about plants in a cute and fresh new way.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I like the idea of the book, but was visually a little too busy for my taste.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun way to learn about seeds, pollination, and photosynthesis in a cute garden story setting.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story nice illustrations

[Lara Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to teach children about growing plants as well as that everyone is different.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet little book that I think should be read in the classrooms at the beginning of the school year.
A class full of different seeds are learning about growing and how they will grow.There is one seed with a "hat" that tries to find himself and fit in.
The book starts in the Fall and carries all through the winter into spring. The seeds learn about photosynthesis, which of course, the reader does too.
The seed with the hat sings about growing and tells fun jokes. Eventually, all the seeds grow into something great and so does the "lost" seed. *smiles*
The writing is awesome. The illustrations a bit cheesy for me but do get the point across and do their job.

I give this 5 stars
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. -Michelle
6m

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows a group of young seeds (including one acorn) as they prepare to bury themselves in soil and wait to grow. The illustrations are very charming, the scientific concepts are explained really well, and the jokes included in the text are mostly pretty funny. I read this aloud to my four-year-old and two-year-old and they were completely enamored of it, and asked a ton of questions. For the preschool and kindergarten audience, this is a great way to introduce concepts related to planting and growing seeds.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Acorn is trying to figure out what he will grow up to be. All the other kids in seed school know they will be flowers, or vegetables, or fruit. But not the little seed with a hat. This book is an interesting way to look at the life cycle of a plant. It’s okay, but not my favorite because it isn’t non-fiction, but it doesn’t make a great fiction book either.

[Nicole]

Seed School by Joan Holub is a great reference story to teach kids about plants and how they grow. The book introduces several early scientific concepts to elementary age children. 

The seeds in the book are learning from Ms Petal what it means to be a seed. They learn about how seeds and plants develop. They learn they are all different in appearance and serve different purposes through their life cycles.

This title is endearing and relatable as the seed children navigate school. The illustrations are fun and colorful and the font is easy to read. The educational aspects sprinkled throughout the book enhance the story without taking away from the continuity of reading.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Seagrass Press and Seagrass Press for the ARC copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.