What Will Grow?

by Jennifer Ward, Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator)

Overview

* "An enchanting vision." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the team behind the gorgeous What Will Hatch? comes a companion book all about seeds and the plants that grow from them—and featuring four pull-out gatefolds.

Seeds can be big or small, round or pointy, and all sorts of colors. They can become flowers, trees, fruits, or vegetables, and they sprout all times of year, during spring, summer, fall, and winter.

But all seeds have one thing in common—inside each is a new plant life waiting to emerge. What kind of plant will bloom? Wait and see what will grow!

Including four gorgeous pull-out gatefolds, this lyrical and stunningly illustrated book includes fun facts about starting a garden.

Awards for What Will Grow?

Texas 2 x 2 List

Kansas NEA Reading Circle

Blue Crab Honor Award Book, Maryland

Wisconsin Cooperative CBC Choice List

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681190303
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/14/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,039,099
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Susie Ghahremani is an award-winning illustrator whose work is exhibited and sold internationally. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she is the author-illustrator of STACK THE CATS and BALANCE THE BIRDS. Susie drinks tea while working with her paints, and often worries about mixing up the two.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/19/2016
In a quietly lovely follow-up to 2013’s What Will Hatch? Ward repeats the question of the title as she describes a dozen varieties of seeds and the plants and trees they grow into. “Roly, round./ Rain-soaked ground./ What will grow?/ Peas,” sShe begins as a yellow worm peers at pea plants snaking up a trellis. Ghahremani’s art is playful yet refined, and the soft textures of the wood she paints on bring warmth to vignettes of dandelion-laden meadows, pumpkins stalked by a fox, and frosty winter fields. Well-integrated gatefolds add drama to some scenes, opening vertically to accommodate towering sunflowers or subterranean carrots (“Flowery fruit./ Orange root”). It’s an enchanting vision of how strikingly different seeds and plants can be, and closing notes explain how and when to plant all 12 types of seeds. Ages 3–6. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A mighty oak of a book . . . This lyrical picture book about the wonders of seeds will charm readers with its fun gatefolds and softly appealing illustrations of animals and plants." - starred review, Shelf Awareness

"Quietly lovely . . . Ghahremani’s art is playful yet refined, and the soft textures of the wood she paints on bring warmth to vignettes of dandelion-laden meadows, pumpkins stalked by a fox, and frosty winter fields. Well-integrated gatefolds add drama to some scenes . . . An enchanting vision of how strikingly different seeds and plants can be." - starred review, Publishers Weekly

"This bucolic companion to Ward’s What Will Hatch? captures the magic and excitement of planting a garden and waiting for it to bloom . . . Four gatefold illustrations will appeal to children’s sense of wonder, and informative back matter instructs aspiring gardeners on when and how to sow the showcased seeds." - starred review, School Library Journal

"Rich with organic material, this choice is as warm and patient as the ground that nurtures the seeds to new life." - Kirkus Reviews

"Featuring rounded, simplified botanical forms, the book’s decorative gouache paintings are playful and satisfying . . . A satisfying, interactive picture book for reading aloud." - Booklist

"An elegant interactive design and serene illustrations." - Publishers Weekly on WHAT WILL HATCH?

"Ghahremani’s picture-book debut features incredible hand-lettering and muted, textured tones . . . [T]hey work well in this quiet nature story . . . Science for the very young is done best through joyous learning; education will certainly hatch from these pages." - Kirkus Reviews on WHAT WILL HATCH?

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2016
PreS—This bucolic companion to Ward's What Will Hatch? captures the magic and excitement of planting a garden and waiting for it to bloom. In simple rhyming couplets, Ward highlights seeds of all shapes and sizes, including sunflower seeds ("Stripy black./Crunchy snack.") and dandelion seeds ("Fluffy, white./Taking flight."). Each short verse is followed by the question, "What will grow?" The sunflowers and dandelions flourish beside peas, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, radishes, and milkweed, along with apple, oak, and pine trees. Ghahremani's striking images, replete with light and texture, are painted with gouache on wood and feature whimsical hand-lettering. The opening pages show "roly, round" peas thriving against a background of soft greens and tans while shining raindrops fall gently to the ground. Woodland creatures like rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and even a fox appear among the verdant greenery in each spread. Four gatefold illustrations will appeal to children's sense of wonder, and informative back matter instructs aspiring gardeners on when and how to sow the showcased seeds. VERDICT Pair this tranquil snapshot of plant life with Elly MacKay's If You Hold a Seed or Julie Fogliano's And Then It's Spring, and encourage young readers to get outside to do some planting of their own.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston

School Library Journal

2016-11-02
Pine cones. Acorns. Dandelion fuzz. Sunflower seeds. Children are delighted by these natural treasures. But what will become of these little nuggets of life?Ward and Ghahremani follow up their book What Will Hatch? (2013) with this second rhyming and riddling book on seeds. Hand-lettered descriptions provide bare clues: "Shiny, brown. Bumpy crown. / What will grow?" Gouache-on-wood illustrations in an earthy palette on double-page spreads provide visual hints. In the case of the preceding clue, squirrels hold large, brown acorns underneath the riddle on the verso. The answer page on the recto shows more squirrels skittering around a labeled oak tree with its distinctive leaves. Some of the riddles are intentionally vague, demanding that readers examine the pictures. Four of the answer pages are pull-out gatefolds that provide extra surprises. The page with the tall sunflowers opens up, while the page with the orange carrots growing below ground opens down. (Due to this unpredictable opening scheme, adult assistance may be required to reduce damage to the pages.) Yet beyond the riddles, there is a consistency in the content, the muted colors, even the satisfyingly thick recycled paper on which it is printed that reinforces the philosophy of this nature book. Endnotes provide details on the 13 seeds and their sowing times as well as the life cycle from seed to plant. Rich with organic material, this choice is as warm and patient as the ground that nurtures the seeds to new life. (Informational picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews