My top Spring picks continue this week with Christie Matheson’s “Plant the Tiny Seed”. Seems appropriate with all of the Ontario rain we’ve endured in the last month. I always say, rain might put a literal damper on outdoor playtime, but it certainly helps the garden grow! This week’s story-telling Sunday feature captures the magic of turning a seed into a flower. If you’re looking for an engaging way to teach children about the planting process, or if your kids are fascinated by metamorphic objects, “Plant the Tiny Seed” is a great book to add to your compilation.
Matheson does a fabulous job of visually telling the story, as each page showcases the seed’s progression. For little readers who are more visual, this is a wonderful way to engage them and have them follow along with their hands. My 2 year-old traces and points to each illustration as the tiny seed grows into a flower; while my 4 year-old hangs onto each word describing the seed’s growth. I appreciate when a children’s book can engage both my kids equally, and “Plant the Tiny Seed” delivers that in spades!
Along with engaging illustrations and descriptions, the book is written in an interactive fashion to help grab and keep little reader's attention spans. As the tiny seed grows throughout the book, the reader/audience is prompted to participate along the way. “Tap the cloud and wish for rain. Clap to bring the sun again”. My kids love being part of the story, and in this case, feel like they are contributing to the transformative power of this tiny seed.
In addition to feeling like expert gardeners throughout the book, my boys get to feel like little magicians. Sweetly captured in this passage:
“Close your eyes.
Wave your hands in the air.
Oh, look!
There’s magic everywhere!”
“Plant the Tiny Seed” is a great choice for play-based learning environments, interactive reading circles, and a fun alternative to traditional reading. It even includes a “recipe” for growing Zinnias, (the flower illustrated throughout), which is featured at the back of the book as a follow-up discussion for curious little readers.
Christie Matheson’s other acclaimed books, “Tap the Magic Tree” & “Touch the Brightest Star”, are also wonderfully written with a similar interactive style. I highly recommend checking out all three - they make a fantastic collection of teachable books for little readers.
The rain continues and so do my top Spring picks for next week. Until then…
Happy reading!