IT STARTS WITH A SEED
It’s never too soon to start getting children enthusiastic about nature. Through charming, gentle rhyme and lovely illustration, this story of how a tiny sycamore seed becomes a magnificent tree will surely start weaving its magic in young minds. It’s a genuinely delightful book about the life cycle of a tree, and of the animals that rely on it for their livelihood and shelter.
Children can spot a plethora of wildlife in its leaves, on the ground, and burrowing beneath its roots through the seasons – all the usual suspects are here: foxes, rabbits, birds, butterflies.
The use of the word ‘arboreal’ in the text, by far the trickiest word here, reflects the book’s factual realism – it doesn’t patronise while explaining the tree’s importance within our delicate ecosystem to its young readers.
This book is a treasure for budding naturalists, and one that grown-ups won’t tire of endlessly re-reading.