THE SEEDLING THAT DIDN’T WANT TO GROW, by Britta Teckentrup, Prestel Junior, March 24, 2020, Hardcover, $14.95 (ages 3-7)
Follow a seedling’s adventure from sprout to full-flowered plant in Britta Teckentrup’s beautiful The Seedling That Didn’t Want to Grow.
It’s early spring and below the earth’s surface seeds are just starting to sprout. One by one they stretch through the dirt and towards the sun, extending their shoots and leaves and growing tall. All except for one seedling, who isn’t quite ready. Each page of this gentle but powerfully evocative book demonstrates how some of us are different. As most of the seeds transform into strong flowers, they block out the sun from the one left behind. But the little seedling persists, twisting and turning until, with the help of bird and insect friends, it finds its own place to grow and blossom. In the end, this little seed turns into a flower that’s just as beautiful and healthy as all the others. —Synopsis provided by Prestel Junior
This moment I opened the package containing The Seedling That Didn’t Want to Grow Up, my 6-year-old took possession. The combination of plants, insects and small animals made it an instant win.
Teckentrup’s illustrations are, as usual, gorgeous. And in this case, they have a sort of immersive feel to them. As a reader, you become a fellow insect following the seedling as it weaves its way through stems in search of sunlight. It’s a lovely book to read aloud, and I’m sure it will become a mainstay in our library.
