Seeds Move!

Using lively verb phrases, Page describes the ways in which seeds use their environments to germinate. "A human touch, a passing animal, or a gust of wind--the slightest jostle can send exploding cucumber seeds shooting from their pods." A seed also "drifts," like a coconut in the ocean; "squirts" from the mouth of an orangutan; "parachutes. When a milkweed pod splits open"; and "plops" after a bear consumes berries. Each spread provides additional details about the way seeds propagate ("the jay forgets where it put some of its acorns, and those seeds may become new oak trees"). In realistic digital art, Page captures the fine textures of feathers and fur, and the layers of leafy soil and grainy sand. A rich portrayal of the many sides of seeds. Ages 3-8. (Mar.)