Do you have a green thumb? Planting a garden, whether for vegetables or flowers, is a magical experience and a great activity to share with a child. Nothing is more fascinating and hopeful than choosing types of seeds, planting them in warm soil, and waiting for life to spring up to the surface. It's a lesson in patience and faith, and you get something pretty or delicious to show for it! I unfortunately have a pretty black thumb, and my backyard is a shady swamp. A veggie patch has never been an option until recently. Unfortunately, a giant tree in my yard had to come down. The silver lining is maybe, just maybe I will get enough light this spring and summer for a little patch of tomatoes or herbs. Fingers crossed!
This charming picture book, Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler, is all about the life cycle of a seed with a touch of whimsy and magic. Miss Maple is a miniature, Thumbelina-sized woman who travels the world searching for seeds that have been lost during spring planting. She brings her collection back to her home in a giant maple tree and lovingly cares for them until they are ready to go forth into the world to grow into flowers, vegetables, and trees.
There is a lot to love about this book. For one, the world the author created is so sweet and unique. Miss Maple sails through the air on a dandelion. She has pet blue birds that carry baskets of seeds on their backs like saddles. Her home in a giant maple tree has all of these little baby cribs each with a seed snuggled in for the night. It is all so heartwarming.
I also love the lessons MIss Maple teaches her seed babies because they are lessons people need to learn too. She takes them out in the rain to teach them to not be afraid of storms. She tells them to remember that all big trees started as small seeds.
This is a great book to read as a starting point for conversations with your kids about being brave, being kind and compassionate like MIss Maple is to her seeds, and in a more practical sense, about starting a plan for a spring garden
