Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 55) A Seed Is Sleepy, by Dianna Hutts Aston. Illus. by Sylvia Long. 2007. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. 32 pp. ISBN 9780811855204. Ages 4 to 8. Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas, by Gail PiernasDavenport. Illus. by Marion Eldridge. 2007. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman. 32 pp. ISBN 9780807573303. Ages 3 to 6. Aston and Long knocked us out with An Egg Is Quiet, and we’re happy to report that their shift to the plant kingdom in this sequel is also well worth a good look. In our review of An Egg Is Quiet (The Reading Chair, January 2007), we noted the book’s combination of scientific and artistic strengths. The same is true in A Seed Is Sleepy, where seeds are presented as characters—secretive, fruitful, adventurous, and inventive—and the exquisite, detailed watercolor illustrations teach us how they travel, how they survive, and how they grow. Readers will enjoy the life cycle diagrams in which pumpkin seeds, beans, rice, and corn kernels sprout on the page. Children will be engaged by the accessible writing: “To find a spot to grow, a seed might leap from its pod, or cling to a child’s shoestring, or tumble through a bear’s belly.” With brief lines of text for young readers and more detailed information for older ones, this is an excellent browsing book for many ages. Education experts decry the decreased time children spend exploring nature today. Let this book be a connection between the classroom and the outdoors. Just before New Year’s, Grandma realizes that she has run out of black-eyed peas. For this African American family, it’s not New Year’s without peas. As young Shanté knocks on neighbors’ doors in search of the crucial ingredient, she learns how each one celebrates the holiday. For the Chinese New Year, Miss Lee makes crisp golden dumplings. For Diwali, her Hindu friend Hari eats sweets. Mr. MacGhee, from Scotland, celebrates with haggis and cheese. But what about those peas? Luckily, Auntie Marie has plenty for the Keys family . . . and for all of the neighbors Shanté has invited for a taste. Fast-paced rhyme makes this book roll, and vibrant illustrations add to the energy. With multiculturalism, neighborhood, and family as themes, the book will inspire numerous classroom projects. Copyright © 2008 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp. Discover PreschoolFirst • Integrates play-based learning and assessment • 3,000 theme-based, age-appropriate activities • Online alignment with each state’s Pre-K standards and the Head Start Outcomes Framework • Supports development from birth to 66 months • Creates meaningful progress reports Visit PreschoolFirst’s Booth #423 at NHSA’s Conference - April 20-24 in Nashville. FREE Web Tour and Trial! Call 1-866-584-2900 or visit www.preschoolfirst.com Young Children • March 2008 From 55 a non-profit learning and technologies corporation. http://www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp
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