The Tiny Seed (The World of Eric Carle)

Buyers, beware of the dimensions. This book is tiny. It is hardcover, but at a TINY 5"x4" you cannot read this book to a whole classroom. Very disappointed when I received it to find out it was not full size. I love the story, though.

SUMMARY: A tiny seed, smaller than the others, makes a very long journey until it can grow into something amazing.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Eric Carle's style is simple, yet rich with color and story.

REVIEW: It is important to note this is NOT the classic original of The Tiny Seed. This is a slightly revised version that is in a level 2 reader format. One of the things I love about the words in this book is that is does not feel as if they were "dumbed" down to make reading overly simple. It feels more like the reader has to reach up and grow, just like the seed in the story. And this story is rich with meaning. The smallest seed may take longer to accomplish its journey and to grow, but what it becomes is far more magnificent. The book is also a page turner. I couldn't wait to turn the page and to follow the seed to the next step.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for grades K-2. It would also be appropriate for grade 3 depending on child's reading level.

Lile another reviewer, I was very taken aback by the language and message of this book.
The seeds DIE, DROWN, AND CATCH FIRE for flying too high, too low etc. The tiny seed oy makes it out alive by simply hanging back and not trying. I don't even think this is a good example of the life cycle of plants, there are so many other books for that. This book basically just says a seed grows into a flower with sun and water. The art work is very nice as all other Eric Carle books but we will not be reading this book again.

My daughter checked this book out from the library and we have read it over and over. (she chose the book herself.) I think it is actually pretty accurate yet metaphorical, and honestly, she understands the deeper meaning of the story. We do a lot of gardening and nature exploring and she knows that most seeds don't germinate, things fade and fall apart and become new things. She really likes the seasons and cycles of life aspects as well.

Personally, I like that the "first" and the "best" don't win-- that the small persistent seed who is the most resourceful survives and outshines the bigger badder seeds and plants (this could also be because my child and I were always the smallest kids in the class and I was the last picked for the teams at recess, etc... But I grew up to be successful, happy and active, as had a lot of my "nerdier" friends)

I think kids do not need to be shielded from life as some of the other reviewers said . Death and change are parts of life they are starting to be exposed to at this age-- their grandparents are aging, and many of them eill have pets pass on. Also, at this time they will start to enter school and will have to make that big transition. Learning about the cycles of life thru a beautiful story is a good way to introduce these topics for discussion. I also do not think it is a violent book-- the seed gets eaten by a bird-- it isn't attacked by zombies or is shot by an invading alien army like 5 and 6 year olds seen in movies and video games...

Usual brilliant Carle collage.....especially the colourful seed-infused winds that blow across almost almost every page.

The story begins in Autumn as a tiny flower seed is carried off by the wind. It rests on the ground during Winter, covered by a blanket of snow. In the Spring it takes root. By Summer the plant is all alone....and it is HUGE. In Autumn the giant flower's pod opens and a new generation of seeds sail away on the wind.

Adapted for a ready-to-read, level two book, this Eric Carle classic will not only challenge children with developing reading skills but it also follows the journey of a seed from the time the autumn winds take it aloft until it lands and eventually sprouts into a mature plant. You'll love the bright, vibrant illustrations and descriptive text here. This is an excellent, joyful reader with a story that explains how plant seeds are spread and then grow into mature plants. Excellent!

My son has been fascinated with this book. He understands so much more than I gave him credit for. He's only 2.5 years old, but he's EXTREMELY verbal and very bright when it comes to books. However, I agree with the english teacher/mommy that it is NOT for the average toddler. I think a bright preschooler or for the child who is fascinated with plants and flowers, it is quite appropriate. I can see an OLDER child in first, second or third grade getting more out of it science wise, but that doesn't mean that a toddler can't enjoy it. I remember reading books and understanding more and more of the details as I got older, which made it a "new" book for me with each passing year, if that makes sense. I re-discovered the story or read it in a new way with more life experience with which to process it. So with that in mind, I think it's a terrific book overall. I do not find it at all disturbing that a seed should drown or burn up. It's a fact of life that seeds don't all survive. If you think of it in terms of humans, sure it's disturbing, but I think that's a paralell that cannot and will not be drawn by a toddler, preschooler or even a young elementary school child. In my view, the English teacher is reading too much into that and reading the book from the viewpoint of an adult with a whole lot more life experience. HOWEVER, I totally agree that the book ends abruptly, which is why I add my own ending when I read it to my child which goes something like this, "and off the seeds sail in the wind to hopefully become beautiful plants and flowers NEXT spring. The end." I'm kind of surprised nobody told Eric Carle or his publisher that the ending was too abrupt. But it's not a big deal. Eric Carle's biggest hits with my son have been "Head to Toe", "The Very Hungry Catepillar," and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," as well as this title. The rest have been a flop. Luckily we check them out at the library and do a test run on them first. :)

Did you know that the tallest sunflower in the world is 25 feet tall? Well,now you know. This book, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, might give you an idea how that happened. This book may also give your girl or boy a message, that if you're strong you can do almost everything.

We read books by the dozens with our preschooler. We've enjoyed many of Eric Carle's classic titles (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear) but this one is awful. It's highly inaccurate, from the empirical standpoint, and has nothing to do with how a seed germinates. Beyond that, it's horrendous. The other seeds suffer horrible deaths until only this one is left - it's more like Stephen King's The Long Walk than a preschooler book. 1984 is more cheerful.

Carle has diluted his brand in a really awful fashion in recent years. Now he's jumped the shark.

This book is a wonderful story about the life cycle of a seed. I used this book in my unit on plants for my 2nd grade class. It is a wonderful tool for a lesson on the beginning of a plant's life. Your students will love looking at the wonderful illustrations that reinforce the story. I highly recommend this piece of quality literature and all of Eric Carle's books for your child or classroom.

I absolutely adore this book! It is soooooo well written! Its pictures are absolutely beautiful! This book is a must for anyone with children! It is just that good! You should buy this book right away! I PROMISE that you will LOVE it too!

I understand the power of overcoming adversity, but as the seeds travel, one of the "drowns," one dies in the desert, one is eaten by a bird...I think it is a disturbing little book, actually. It certainly should never have been made into a board book. There are too many words on the page to keep the attention of a toddler or preschooler. The ending seems abrupt as well. I haven't been impressed with the Carle books I have read.

There were no seeds. The "detachable seed-embedded paper" was not in the book.

Cute book but it loses its appeal when it does not have what I specifically wanted out of this purchase. It would have been a nice little project to go along with the story.

Fail.

Can I have a $1.50 credit? Since I now need to go purchase some tiny seeds?