If You Plant a Seed

This book really has it all…gorgeous illustrations, an easily understood plot, hilarious moments, and a sweet moral. All of my kids (ages 4 to 10 years) and I thought it was delightful.

If You Plant a Seed Details

Title: If You Plant a Seed
Author/Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publication Year: 2015
Website: www.kadirnelson.com
Age Group: Baby/Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, Early Elementary
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Comments

My kids and I first learned about Kadir Nelson through his book, Nelson Mandela. I completely fell in love with his breath-taking illustrations so I decided to check out everything I could by him at the library. When I pulled this one out of our library stack to read at breakfast, my 8 year old daughter, who likes to preview all my selections, said, “That one’s really good.” I asked, “Is it funny?” She said, “Not really, but a little bit. It’s just really good.”

I was intrigued, because my kids are usually drawn towards the humorous books. As I read through it, I understood exactly why she liked it. There are very few words as the story is told almost entirely through pictures. There is one double page spread that my kids thought was hilarious. However, more than anything else, it is just really sweet, in a way that is not over the top or in your face.

This book teaches kids that we have a choice how we behave and how we treat people. It shows the consequences in a very clear, easy-to-understand way. The author gives us a beautiful, gentle reminder to choose kindness.