Surprise in the Meadow

December 15, 2015
A chipmunk watches a sunflower grow, from seed to seed dispersal. After his winter sleep, Little Chipmunk wakes to discover that a seed he'd stored has turned into a new plant that grows tall and strong in the sun, droops in the heat, is watered by the rain, develops a beautiful flower, and produces more delicious seeds. The life cycle of this sunflower is chronicled in the third person from Little Chipmunk's perspective in simple words and short paragraphs set on double-page spreads. The author/illustrator's watercolor illustrations fill out the experience. Details of meadow flora and fauna--a frog, a worm, a snail, bugs and bees, dandelions and daisies, birds and butterflies, a raccoon, three skunks, and a rabbit--are reasonably recognizable and invite readers to look closely. Designed to appeal to a very young audience, the animals have been depicted in these scenes with human gestures and body language (though no clothing). They seem to be smiling. The final wordless spread shows Little Chipmunk tucked away again under a blanket of snow. An afterword describes the life cycle of a sunflower more prosaically. The story parallels children's experiences planting seeds in many preschools and the early elementary grades and would be a good accompaniment in classroom libraries. Sweet but also nourishing. (Informational picture book. 2-7)

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January 1, 2016

Toddler-PreS-Vojtech's new picture book is about the life cycle of a sunflower. The story begins in the spring when a chipmunk goes searching for the seeds he buried in the fall. But instead of finding the seeds, he discovers a mysterious plant growing in its place. As spring turns into summer, the plant grows taller. It attracts the attention of all of the animals living in the meadow. Its size is compared to other plants that grow in the area, such as the black-eyed Susan and the Queen Anne's lace. When the bees come to pollinate the flower head, the chipmunk exclaims, "Sunflower!" With the coming of fall, the flower begins to dry out and droop. In the background, geese are flying south for the winter and hungry animals, like the chipmunk, are eating the seeds that have fallen on the ground. The life cycle of a sunflower is described in more detail on the last page of the book. VERDICT A sweet and simple story.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

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