Grace’s Mystery Seed

Grace’s Mystery Seed by Juliet M Sampson
Illustrated by Karen Erasmus
Published by Ford St Publishing
Date: 1 March 2019
R.R.P. $24.95

I am loving all the picture books about gardens that have been published for children recently.  Grace’s Mystery Seed is one of these and it is a beautiful story about watching and waiting for a plant to grow, nurturing, the excitement of not knowing what something is, patience, science, measurement and teamwork.

Grace is blessed have a lovely neighbour, Mrs Marino, who has the best garden in the street.  Grace loves everything about her garden and when she comes across a seed Mrs Marino suggests they plant it and wait and see what it is.

There is a certain magic as we see Grace watch her seed grow, not knowing what it is but completely dedicated to it, waiting and watching everyday for it to sprout.  Her excitement is priceless when the first little shoot does appear.

Juliet Sampson has captured through words the journey of plant growth in a way that children understand and would relate to.  She explains the different stages by explaining ‘Soon it came up to her middle’ and ‘Soon it was as tall as the fence.’  This is also giving a children an understanding of measurement.

Karen Erasmus has illustrated the garden beautifully, and has captured the curiosity, joy and excitement of Grace and her friend Leo well.  Karen has beautifully drawn the garden with shades of green and bursts of yellows, reds, purples and pinks.

There are a lot of learning opportunities with this book because this book would make a great introduction to make a child’s own garden.  A lot of questions can be asked about the birds and other animals that can be seen in the garden pictures, and you can talk about what Grace did to help her plant grow.

Overall, this is a beautiful book that will make a lovely addition to other garden books you may have in your collection.  Juliet has written a story that captures the excitement and wonder of the garden, and the joy of a child’s discovery.

Thank you Juliet Sampson for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book