A Handful of Sunshine [Hardcover]

Melanie Eclare (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Splendid in-your-face pictures, an over-sized format and an informal straightforward text combine to illustrate the quiet miracle of a sunflower's growth from seed to magnificent blossom. Illustrating a project repeated yearly in countless pre-school and elementary class rooms across America, a young girl plants a handful of seeds and tends to them in her garden - to be rewarded by the glory of a flower which towers high above her. Simple, easy-to-follow instructions on growing and caring for sunflowers add significant educational value and utility.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-In this British import, young Tilda buys sunflower seeds with her pocket money and plants them in March, which is early for many Americans. A brief text in large print and full-page photos take readers through the planting, growing, and harvesting process. The last page features eight steps of instructions, each accompanied by a small, descriptive photograph. The emphasis here is clearly on the elegant, full-color photographs: the endpapers are double-page Georgia O'Keeffe-like shots that focus on the center of a giant blossom. Within the book, two more double-spread photos-no borders or text-show Tilda in her brightly striped sweater and rubber boots diligently tending to her garden. The book is a pleasure to look at, but there are so many other titles in the current sunflower craze that libraries owning Miela Ford's Sunflower (Greenwillow, 1995) or Lola Schaefer's This Is the Sunflower (HarperCollins, 2000) may find this one to be an additional ornamental purchase.
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. A visually inviting introduction to gardening, this book features large, colorful photographs of young Tilda planting her sunflower seeds, watering them, watching the plants grow, and harvesting the seeds for next year. Most of the double-page spreads display one or two photos, accompanied by a line or two of explanatory text. A few of the pictures look like posed snapshots, but most are clear, well-lit photos of a child at work in the garden. Like the sunflower that towers over Tilda in the end, the book itself is supersized, so it may be difficult to shelve in some libraries. Still, preschool and primary-grade teachers seeking material on sunflowers will find this a good book to share with their classes. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Ragged Bear (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929927142
• ISBN-13: 978-1929927142
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 11.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,299,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Welcome to Spring, February 23, 2001

By 

Kim Van Meter (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Handful of Sunshine (Hardcover)

I just got this from the library and read it to my 2- and 3-year-old kids. They loved it, and so do I. The photos are fabulous and make we want to jump out into the garden right away, despite the 6 inches of snow on the ground right now. My kids were fascinated by the girl, Tilda, shoveling her own garden bed and planting her seeds bought with her own pocket money. They are now determined to grow some sunflowers on their own. As soon as we finished the book, they both said "Read it again!" And that's really the highest praise.