Spring Planting...

What image comes to mind when think of when you hear the word "farmer?" I'll admit - when I hear "farmer," I picture a man with a pitchfork in overalls, standing in his field monitoring the rows of corn. Planting the Wild Garden (Galbraith, 2011), which we found at the IRA Convention, challenges that image with the first page spread, as the author writes:

"A farmer and her boy plant their garden. They drop seeds - tiny, fat, round, and oval - into the earth.... In the wild meadow garden, many seeds are planted too, but not by farmers' hands."

 

In this NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book and  Growing Good Kids Book Award winner, wind, rain, streams, animals, and unsuspecting people are also carriers of seeds, and these and other types of seed dispersion are beautifully depicted through the large illustrations supported by smaller frames within the book. The text of the book makes it an easy and engaging read-aloud or independent read, with certain verbs bolded and purposefully oriented to  match the action. 

For a companion book about different kinds of seeds, try A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston (2007). This is another Growing Good Kids award winner. Each page spread focuses on one aspect of seeds, such as "A seed is fruitful," and in smaller font, additional information is provided. The only reason this book is not ideal for an independent read by primary students is the font of the primary sentence on each page - unfortunately, the main text is written in cursive, though the supporting details are in a readable print-type font. However, as a read aloud for adjectives about seeds, this book is easily paired with the verb-rich Wild Garden book.

We had the privilege of meeting Dianna at IRA in 2007, and were enchanted by the story of how the title her first book of this kind, An Egg is Quiet, came about. (You'll have to ask her if you ever run into her...I'm not sure we could do the story justice!) She has continued in this vein of writing with A Butterfly is Patient, and her 2012 book, A Rock is Lively. which both follow a similar format with excellent up-close details in the illustrations.