A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston, Illustrated by Silvia Long and geared toward children aged 5-8, or Kindergarten reading level. This book is designated as children’s non-fiction. [Affiliate links for books via Amazon - see text above and image below.]
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This book goes through different types of seeds and gives examples of each. Unlike some children’s books the illustrations are photo-realistic botanical watercolor paintings. Each of these illustrations is individually labeled with the plant’s common name, helping to promote an easier association between the name and the plant it corresponds to.
The text also operates as a good environmental science primer for children or really anyone not already familiar with the subject. The clarity of the accompanying botanical illustrations do a lot to assist in that regard as well.
The author discusses topics ranging from ancient seeds sprouting after being discovered by archaeologists to seed distribution and growth patterns are approached in a simple, direct way that makes them easily understandable and accessible. Furthermore, examples are given from around the world, showing a whole compendium of different seeds from a myriad of different ecosystems.
Also I really appreciate the growth chart part way through the book that compares plant growth between different species.
The narrative also subtly addresses the fact that everyone (every seed) is unique, more suited to certain things, certain environments and dispersal methods, and all are valuable. All are important. Some have a few more hurdles to jump through before they can germinate and others grow very quickly. And that’s ok. Each seed grows and develops at its own pace, and in its own way.
Overall, I would give this 5 stars for information and illustrations presented in an accessible, direct way… and take off a bit for interesting formatting choices. It is consistent, which I appreciate--I’ll get into that in a few weeks when we talk about Thus Spoke the Plant--but unless you’ve seen someone read the text previously, it can be a bit tricky to know which parts to read in what order. That seems to be the only real issue with the book when I checked goodreads to see what folks were saying, as well.