$16.99 U.S.
EMLO9) U.K.
5 Award-winners Sylvia Long
© and Dianna Hutts Aston
=| have teamed up again to
s create this gorgeous and
& informative introduction to
seeds. From tiny redwood
cor seeds to giant coconut seeds,
from bright red-orange mountain
laurel seeds to pods of fluffy milk-
weed seeds, an incredible variety of
seeds are celebrated in all their
beauty and wonder.
Poetic in voice and elegant in design,
the book introduces children to an
intriguing array of seed and plant
facts. Even the endpapers brim with
information. The evocative text is
sure to inspire lively questions and
observations, making this a fascinating
guide that is equally at home being
read to a child ona parent’s lap as |
in a classroom reading circle. |
“'. . will stretch children’s minds and
imaginations.”
—* School Library Journal, starred review
“
. will encourage kids to wonder about
the plant world’s mysterious, gorgeous
spectrum of possibilities.” —Booklist
“Gorgeous is the only way to describe this
book.” —San Diego Union-Tribune
Also by Dianna Hutts Aston
and Sylvia Long
An Egg Is Quiet
+ > Srnec. . . Breathtaking... .
This attractive volume pleases on both
a an aesthetic and intellectual level.”
m — «Publishers Weekly, starred review
“ ..a delight for budding naturalists of
all stripes, flecks, dots, and tex uras.
—*turkus Reviews, starred rewisw
Jacket illustrations © 2007 by Sylvia Lang.
Ro (e)
4,
<
6
Rdian ax®
To Rosemary Stimola, my “little flower,” with gratitude and love —D. A.
lio Sopnie Grace, the sweetest little sprout in Nana’s garden —-5. L.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Victoria Rock, editor, and Sara Gillingham, book designer, for their incomparable vision and dedication to quality in children’s books.
Steven Paton, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama; Dr. Robert T. Harms, University of Texas at Austin;
Dr. Gerhard Leubner, University of Freiburg, Germany; Dr. Sarah Sallon, Natural Medicine Research Center, Jerusalem, Israel;
Carissa
Nelson, Seed Technology Education Program, Colorado State University; Deborah Lewis, Ada Hayden Herbarium,
Iowa State University,
Ames, Iowa; Steven Hurst, USDA-NRCA Plants Database; Matthew Sleigh, B and T World Seeds, Paguignan, France;
Megan Waters; Dr. Thomas L. Carlisle; Susette Newberry, PhD, Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; Robert Dirig,
L. H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium, Cornell University (coco de mer image permission); Guy Eisner (date palm seed image);
Deborah Weist, National Park Service (redwood cones and seed images); Jo Cook, Urban Horticulture, University of Arizona;
Allan McDonald, British Columbia; Malcolm Storey, United Kingdom
Text © 2007 by Dianna Hutts Aston.
Mustrations © 2007 by Sylvia Long.
All rights reserved.
Book design by Sara Gillingham and Katie Jennings.
Calligraphy by Anne Robin.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in ink and watercolor.
Manufactured in China.
Library of Congress Cataloging—-in—Publication Data
Aston, Dianna Hutts.
A seed is sleepy / by Dianna Hutts Aston ; illustrated by Sylvia Long.
paem:
ISBN 978-O-8118-5520-4
l. Seeds—Juvenile literature. J. Long, Sylvia, ill. II. Title.
QK661.A88 2007
581.4°67—dc22
2006013302
MIX
Paper from
responsible sources
nee FSC* C104723
TORIES
Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclekids.com
A Seed TsMeepy
by Dianna Hutts Aston - illustrated by Sylvia Long
chronicle
bo
books-san Francisco
Most seeds sleep through a season or two,
waiting for the warmer temperatures of spring.
But some take their time. Ten years might
pass before the bright red-orange seed of the
Texas mountain laurel shows its purple blooms.
: ’ E ‘'
Ninety percent of the plants on Earth are flowering
plants. Flowering plants produce fruits—fruits of
Qilssnapes and textures that kKeepstne seeds cozy
until they have found the right place to grow.
Who would guess that a seed as small
as a freckle would grow into |
the world’s tallest tree? Only ten percent of = 7
redwood trees begin as seeds, though.
Most redwood trees spring from existing trees.
Yes, raked!
Scientists call gymnosperms—
seeds that aren’t clothed
in fruits—naked seeds. Most
naked seeds hide themselves
on the scales of cones until
they’re ready to make a dash 100' ¢
for the ground.
50' 4
e Coast redwood
The orchid seed is the smallest of all.
There might be a million seeds in one pod!
The seed of the coco de mer palm is the
largest. It can weigh up to 60 pounds.
A seed is generous.
It gives the baby plant, vv embryo;
a seed coat to heep it warm,
cD Zaays 4 days 1 week 4 weeks
@ s3days 1 week 1 month
Pumpkin “es
CP? 4 days 1 week 2 nontns 3 months
Slash %
pine
<q) 1 week 6 weeks 2 months 8 years
B 4 days 1 week 10 weeks Aryean
The embryo’s first meal comes from its seed leaves, or
cotyledons. Seeds with one seed leaf, like corn, are called monocots.
Seeds with two seed leaves, like beans, are called dicots.
Shoot (Plumule)
Root (Radicle)
Seed leaf (Cotyledon)
Seed coat
ag
15) years
100 years
wie Ancien:
Not all seeds are eager to germinate.
Some have lain dormant, or slept undisturbed,
for more than a thousand years.
The oldest known seed to sprout
came from an extinct date palm tree.
After it was unearthed from a
long-ago king’s mountaintop palace
in Israel, a scientist planted it.
Four weeks later, it sprouted!
Bean
VA
&
Part of the seed, the root, iN
feels the tug of gravity and #8
~
digs down deep.
|
{ |
} }
i EPO ie PIE
ae
|
\
iE
Another part of the seed,
the shoot, issensitive to light,
so jt reaches for the sun.
-
Plants make their own food through a process
called photosynthesis. Inside plant leaves are cells
containing chemicals that absorb sunlight. Light
gives them the energy they needs to turn awoter-ancd
carbon dioxide—a gas in the air—into food.
eS
oe ea hie eS ot ee *
Ares
a eX Pi
Fe
Strawbervy
UO
fo)
0
3
3fy
w
(Tp)
g
fo)
UO
at.At
Dianna Hutts Aston spends
a lot of time in her backyard
investigating seeds. She often enlists
the help of her children, James and
Elizabeth. She lives in Texas. Her
previous books include An Egg Is
Quiet; When You Were Born; Loony
Little; Bless This Mouse; and Mama
Outside, Mama Inside.
Sylvia Long is the illustrator of
many best-selling books for children.
Ms. Long’s detailed paintings are
inspired by her love of animals and
the outdoors. She lives in Scottsdale,
Arizona. Her previous books include
Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose, Snug
As a Bug, and An Egg Is Quiet.
Also by Sylvia Long
Alejandro’s Gift
“A book enthralling beyond words.”
— Smithsonian magazine
“ . . evocative, meticulously detailed pen-
and-watercolor illustrations.”
—surkus Reviews
“A thoughtful story with sensitive, detailed
jllustrations.” —School Library Journal
anythink
A REYOLUTION OF RANGEVIEW LIBRARIES
Sylvia Long’s Mother Goosé
“It’s a visual feast with cleverly connected
page designs serving up kinder and gentler
reinterpretations of many old favorites.”
9379 — San Francisco Chronicle
“&
. a lovely volume.”
—* School Library Journal, starred review
To host an event with the author or
fustreanar. of this book, please contact
publimry musteconiclebooks.com.
Manufactured in China.
a
BRARY DISTRICT
iT
“Ntine broo™
€= \
‘di7
4.
$16.99 V.S./£11.99 U.K.
wy
ISBN
FSC
www.fsc.org ae
MIX
Paper from
responsible sources
FSC® C104723
9"78
www.chroniclekids.
