a very dreamy picturebook ( )

"Seed Magic" is a book about a little girl who discovers the beauty of nature via an old man she meets in the park. This book teaches children to see beauty in those things that others may find ugly. It is a good book that shows children to think out of the box and to find beauty in all things. The concept is very simple and the book is short and to the point. This book also provides examples of kindness and compassion to older individuals and disabled individuals. ( )

Rose dreams of beautiful gardens. She shares her dreams with an old man in a wheelchair who is feeding pigeons at the city park. He gives her some “magic” seeds and instructs her to place them on her concrete windowsill. In this colorful, beautifully illustrated picture book Rose discovers that seeds can grow a brightly colored garden in unexpected ways. This simple picture book is perfect for preschoolers.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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Age Appropriateness (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School): Intermediate
Review/Critique: This book is about Rose, a young girl who does not see the beauty around her. Rose meets Birdman on day in the park. Birdman is a handicap man who always has pigeons around him. Throughout the book, Birdman teaches Rose to see the beauty around her. I think this book would be considered to be fiction because it is a story that is made up. It could happen in real life, but is not based on a real life story. This book also contains the all normal characteristics a book should include
Comments on Use: I would use this book in my classroom to talk about being grateful for everything we have and for the things around us. I would also use this book to describe the experience of a person whose in a wheelchair. I think I would only have this conversation (about disabilities) if my students inquire or share a personal experience about a person who is disabled.
Medium: acrylic ( )

Story of a young African-American girl who asks an eccentric elderly African-American man why he feeds pigeons in the park. He comments on their beauty, and gives her seeds that are magic and tells her to place them on the windowsill and they will grow. To her surprise multicolored birds arrive and flutter about the sill creating a vibrato garden of color. The book reads as poetry. The painted illustrations in this book are by Cleveland artist who documents the heritage of African-American culture and music by implementing flow and rhythm in her painting strokes, a rhythm similar to the writing style.