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

Eric Carle (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 10, 2009 | Age Range: 3 and up | Series: World of Eric Carle

Eric Carle’s classic story of the life cycle of

a flower is told through the adventures of a tiny

seed. This mini-book includes a piece of

detachable seed-embedded paper housed on the

inside front cover. Readers can plant the entire

piece of paper and watch as their very own tiny

seeds grow into beautiful wildflowers.

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. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Eric Carle is the author and illustrator of more than seventy books for children, many of them bestsellers. Born in Syracuse, New York, he moved to Germany with his parents when he was six years old. He studied at the Academy of Graphic Arts in Stuttgart before returning to the United States, where he worked as a graphic designer for The New York Times and later as art director for an international advertising agency. His first two books, 1,2,3 to the Zoo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, gained him immediate international recognition. The latter title, now considered a modern classic, has sold more than 30 million copies and has been translated into forty-eight languages. Eric Carle and his wife, Barbara, divide their time between the mountains of North Carolina and the Florida Keys.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Little Simon; Reprint edition (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416979174
• ISBN-13: 978-1416979173
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Flowers & Plants

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

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

By Mandy

Format: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.

25 of 29 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 VINE™ VOICE

Format: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.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tiny Seed March 13, 2003

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

This is a very good book. I think that this is a very inspiring story to people who might think they are too small and won't amount to anything. This is not true in this case, it just takes a little longer to develop. The others develop quckly, and they end up ending quickly to. When he keeps going on, and never really gives up. He sure thinks about giving up a lot but never really does. In the end it will work out better for the person who has to try hard to get through everything, something bad is bound to happen to you. When you tr and never give up, you will succeed. You will become bigger and better than anyone who got an east way through life.
Because you had to go through so much on your journey, when everyone else had it easy,when they have to strugge to get through things, you will get to sit back and relax.
And this story demonstrates that just because you are small you can't grow bigger or can't do things. ...