Stay, Little Seed

February 1, 2020
In Valentini's fable, originally published in Italy in 2008, a gust of wind wafts a tree's seeds away--leaving one. The tree urges the little seed off: "Hurry up, or you'll be left behind. / Don't you want to join all your brothers and sisters?" The seed is fearful about flying off to "Who Knows Where." The tree, personifying the parent's classic conflict between the impulse to cosset offspring and helping them individuate, allows the seed to stay. "Just one more day" becomes another, then a week, then more, as the tree frets about rain, sun, and wind. This shared stasis continues until a deus ex magpie snatches the seed and, laughing, drops it Who Knows Where. Throughout ensuing seasonal cycles, the tree, "wondering with its tender heart," worries about the seed. One day, a voice from below hails the tree, who recognizes its progeny, now transformed as "a sapling, beautiful and strong." Giordano's pictures--precise black line drawings against cream-colored pages--don't so much extend the text as parallel-play with it. Tree and seeds sport faces dominated by curvilinear noses in accent colors of blue, green, and red. Woodland creatures help nurture the seed, which even spends time nestled among a bird's eggs. Fancifully, tiny trappings--hats, rain boots--share some critters' polka-dot coloration. Careful nurturing begets the launch into the unknown: Valentini celebrates both as natural and fitting. (Picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2020
Preschool-G A tree sits in a meadow, its branches covered in seeds just waiting to drift off to Who Knows Where, but one timid seed clings onto its branch. The tree knows that the seed has to let go in order to live its best life but also understands that the prospect of Who Knows Where can be daunting, so the seed is allowed to stay?for one more day. However, one more day quickly multiplies, with the tree wanting to protect the seed from danger. After fate intervenes in the form of a mischievous magpie, a happy ending reveals a strong sapling where the seed fell?it has grown up safely, all by itself. Valentini's gentle tale is accompanied by a marvelously snug little treetop world. Giordano's wonderfully stylized illustrations feature simple black lines punctuated with the occasional colored detail. Both children and adult readers will identify with the timeless themes, from the joy in comforting familial bonds to the growth that can only happen with independence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

K-Gr 4-A humanized tree and one of its seedlings develop a sweet relationship in this tale of a protective parent and a child reluctant to go out into the world. "When a great wind came and blew the seeds north and south and even Who Knows Where, one tiny seed stayed." Though the tree encourages the seed to go on its way to grow big and strong, the two find excuses to prolong the stay "for just one more day." There's rain, and mud, and "It would be terrible if the seed were to get a sunburn." Giordano's black-and-red line drawings set on creamy, yellow pages use comical shapes barely suggestive of a tree and its branches. A simple face above a large red heart is set in a squat rectangle, its wishbone-shaped branches sprouting globules varied in size. Most of these have faces, some smiling, some sleeping. These are the tree's many seedlings. A few tiny orbs bear lines, the veins of leaves. A circular lined background for the branches suggests a bouffant hairdo for the tree. Many pages feature spare views of a branch bearing the stay-at-home seed with varied accessories: a scarf, an umbrella, a suitcase, a dress. Eventually, a passing magpie breaks the seed from its branch, sending it on its way. For seasons to come the tree misses and worries about the seed, and eventually there's a heart-filled reunion. The simple text might serve as a bedtime story though it seems unlikely that the leaving home theme will register with pre-school children. VERDICT A cute, sentimental tale that will appeal to those who love The Giving Tree.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.