I love the feeling of new beginnings in January, the fresh start that the New Year brings. No matter what has happened in the last 12 months, the next 12 can be new and exciting, especially if you take the time to plant the right seeds. If You Plant a Seed is a beautiful picture book that reminds us that the kind of seeds we plant will determine the kind of harvest we receive. Mouse and Rabbit both know that if you plant carrot seeds you will get carrots and if you plant tomato seeds you will get tomatoes. But what if they began planting seeds of selfishness or anger? Those seeds will grow into something too, a big mess! Kadir Nelson’s simple language and beautifully expressive artwork encourages children (and adults) to be careful the seeds they plant, reminding all that planting seeds of kindness will grow a bountiful harvest that we can share all year round.
Reading Tips
While reading If You Plant a Seed together, you will notice that several pages contain only illustrations. Try having your child narrate what they think each animal is saying or ask questions about what they think is happening in each scene. Reading this book together can also lead to some valuable discussions about consequences, sharing, kindness, behaviors at school and home, even things like sibling rivalry.
I hope your family enjoys this book as much as I did. I am sure this title will become a valuable part of my book collection as well.
– Kayla
blog photo by Benji Mellish from Pexels
