Seeds

Seeds

By: Ken Robbins

This non-fiction book is, true to its title, about seeds. It not only describes what seeds need to grow, but also shows pictures and gives details about various seeds, with a particular focus on seeds that result in plants or foods that we use daily (i.e. wheat makes bread). 

The book is great because it makes seeds more relatable by describing them  in context as comparison between seeds and showing the photographs of seeds with the seeds' results. However, what really got me about this book were the photographs. The pages are all white, and the illustrations are cropped photographs so that the only thing on the page is each item. The layout almost reminds me of Real Simple magazine, which I personally think is one of the prettiest magazines out there. Sometimes the items photographed are in motion. My favorite page is for the dandelion. The little seeds are flying all over the double page spread while the very edge of someone's face is whoing them blowing on a half dispersed dandelion. With the white background, the dandelion is thrown into relief by looking so grey it is almost black. It's really a beautiful page that captures the moment of wonder when you blow the seeds of a dandelion, close your eyes, and make a wish. 

Additionally, the story of each seed is introduced in a personal way so that it would be easy for s reader to make a personal connection. For sticktights, the author relates these seeds by introducing them in such a way most kids are familiar with. "If you go for a walk int he woods in the fall, and you happen to pass some sticktight plants, the chances are you'll come back with a  bunch of their seeds on the cuffs of your pants." These seeds are the little brown sticky things (I've always called them grassburs) that you can never get off socks or sweaters. I'm so glad I know their name now! It'll be much easier to complain about them.  :)

Overall,this is a great science book, a great book to use for comparisons in English, a well-written  non-fiction book, and a testament to pretty photography and a gorgeous layout.