The Tiny Seed (World of Eric Carle) [Hardcover]

Eric Carle (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: World of Eric Carle

Dazzlingly colorful collage illustrations and a simple but dramatic text tell the fascinating story of the life cycle of a flower in terms of the adventures of a tiny seed.

Carried aloft by the autumn wind, the tiny seed, along with other bigger seeds, travels far over the world. the journey is perilous: one of the bigger seeds is burned by the sun; another falls into the ocean; still another is eaten by a bird. Even after those that are left have landed on fertile ground and begun to grow, danger is near: one small plant is stepped on; one little flower is picked; but the tiny seed keeps growing almost unnoticed. Young readers will cheer at the happy outcome of this exciting tale. And they will long remember the heartening message of the tiny seed's steadfast perserverance in the face of many hazards and obstacles until its final joyful success.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This picture book admirably conveys the miracle of a seed. Flower pods burst and dispatch their seeds on the wind; the air-borne seeds are subject to myriad disasters; and the ones that make it through the perils of the seasons to become mature flowering plants are still susceptible to being picked, trod upon and otherwise damaged. But nature allows for survivors, and so the tiny seed grows into a giant flower, releasing its seeds and continuing the cycle. As he has demonstrated with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books, Carle has an extraordinary kinship with nature. Here we have not just the explanation of the life of a flower, but drama, lessons of life and a lovely spirituality. This is a reissue of the original 1970 edition, with expanded, expansive collage illustrations. The pages, like the seed pods, burst with color. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Eric Carle well-known creator of many beloved picture books for small readers and listeners, including such classics as Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, The Tiny Seed, Rooster's Off to See the World, A House for Hermit Crab, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He is especially celebrated for his unique ability to combine learning with pleasure. Children delight in the distinctive beauty of his illustrations -- richly layered collages in glowing colors -- and they love his entertaining stories, which invite them to make their own discoveries in a natural, joyful way.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Eric Carle received much of his education in Germany. He is a graduate of the Akademie der bildenden KÜnste in Stuttgart, where he learned about Goethe's color theory and complementary colors. Eric Carle has two grown children. He and his wife live in western Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (August 20, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887080154
• ISBN-13: 978-0887080159
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for young children.


Eric was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, and moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old. After graduating from art school, he returned to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories, and found work as a graphic designer.


After seeing an advertisement designed by Eric, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask him to illustrate a story he had written. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, with its distinctive collage style, was the result of their collaboration. This favorite was the beginning of Eric Carle's true career. Soon Eric was writing his own stories, developing a close bond with Ann Beneduce, the founder of Philomel Books, who would be his editor for nearly 40 years. In 1969 they published the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 30 languages. Since this beginning, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.


The secret of Eric Carle's books' appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions. He says "I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born.
Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun."


Eric Carle has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter. He and his wife Barbara divide their time between Massachusetts and Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tiny Seed, March 29, 2000

By 

Mandy (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tiny Seed (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful story about the life cycle of a seed. I used this book in my unit on plants for my 2nd grade class. It is a wonderful tool for a lesson on the beginning of a plant's life. Your students will love looking at the wonderful illustrations that reinforce the story. I highly recommend this piece of quality literature and all of Eric Carle's books for your child or classroom.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not the best for intended age group, July 24, 2005

By 

waldorf_curric - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tiny Seed (Paperback)

I think this book is fine, but not for the preschool crowd. I would use it with older children -- elementary age -- to discuss the life cycle of an annual, the role of the seasons, and the challenges of reproduction which must be overcome by all plants. The Tiny Seed introduces us to many of the hazards faced by seeds and seedlings as they attempt to grow (from falling in water and drowning, being eaten by birds or mice, being overshadowed by large weeds, being stepped on by children, and more) and shows how the ideal environment is a necessity. It covers the role of sunshine and rain, how the seed swells and bursts open, how the plant develops as it grows, and how it produces and disperses its seeds to carry on the next generation. It's not a book for small children, though, since its mostly non-fiction tone is dry, the phrases are stilted, and it doesn't read aloud well. I find it difficult to "cheer on" the tiny seed; where others see him as a hero facing difficult odds, I think the book is too grimly determined to be educational and becomes boring for the youngest child. If you want a book to introduce a unit on seed dispersal, this is the one. If you want to talk with your three year old about the cycle of the seasons, you'd be better off with the Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter collection by Gerda Muller.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Eric Carle book. What happened to his quality?, May 7, 2009

By 

Kathryn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tiny Seed (World of Eric Carle) (Hardcover)

I am a big Eric Carle fan, and am stunned and saddened that he would put his name on this book.

1.) It does not portray the life cycle of a seed correctly at all. I would definitely not use this in the classroom, or as a tool to teach my child about seeds/plants. (Seeds don't catch on fire by flying too close to the sun, and flowers don't grow taller than houses in my neighborhood.) 2.) It is not good for pre-schoolers. Don't laugh, but it's too violent. All these seeds are killed off one by one -- frozen, burned, eaten, drowned. 3.) The lackluster illustrations are not up to the standard we expect from Eric Carle. 4.) Lastly, I'm not sure how more adequately I can describe this book than by just saying, "This is one really weird book."

It appears to have gotten some good reviews, so it might be a fit for some people out there. But, in my own opinion, it seems to me as though it was slapped together on a tight deadline, and with the thinking that by simply putting the Eric Carle name on it, people would buy it. (Unfortunate people like me.) Stick with the tried-and-true "Hungry Caterpillar" and "Brown Bear" classics if you want Eric Carle. And look elsewhere if you want a book that teaches kids about the life cycle of plants, like "This is the Sunflower" or "Bob and Otto."