A short story about an ambitious apple seed that will inspire and delight all ages.
Cedolia’s children’s book celebrates belief in oneself and the drive to succeed.
A young apple seed lives with his brother and sister seeds inside their apple, swinging gently from their parent tree. The young seed dreams of a world beyond their quiet little home, yearning to be something more. Though his siblings think him silly, the young apple seed keeps dreaming his big dreams. One warm day, some real excitement begins: The other seeds begin to worry and fret as their home apple falls from the tree, crashing to the ground. It’s not just the other seeds’ voices that the protagonist hears—there are human voices, as well. With a mighty “CRUNCH!” their home is broken open, and, finally, the seed sees the light of day. With the remains of the apple tossed into a ditch, the little seed is freed, landing face down in the dirt. It revels in the warmth of the sun, and in the possibilities open to him now that he is on his own. As joyous and promising as the first few days are (“Everything was like a tickle and wiggle in his mind and in his heart. The movements of the field, grass, trees, and flowers all around him looked like friends inviting him to join them”), the little seed soon finds himself in pain. Hurting, his thoughts turn dark and hopeless—but the soreness turns out to be growing pains, and the little seed opens to release roots that dig deep into the soil. In this short story, the author affirms the importance of hope, dreaming big, and not letting the dark times get you down. Told from the point of view of one tiny seed amongst many, readers will find themselves rooting for the happily-ever-after that the nascent tree has strived for his entire life. Appropriate for all ages, the tale is a quick and uplifting read.
A short story about an ambitious apple seed that will inspire and delight all ages.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781738166701
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
