Product Description

On the Toronto Public Library_s 10 best books of 2008 list for Children up to 5 years of age

On Resource Link's "Best of 2008" List

First published in 1986 and a staple ever since for parents of preschool children and teachers of primary grades, One Watermelon Seed is presented in a new edition with a bold new cover and interior art.
In this deceptively simple counting book, Max and Josephine tend their garden while readers follow along, counting from one to ten as the garden is planted. Then readers can count in groups of tens as the garden is harvested, while they search through the pictures for the many small animals that are hiding throughout. A concise and clever text introduces color and rhythm, and the illustrations are bright and engaging, making this a perfect counting book for children aged four to seven.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317592 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Pres-Grade 2—Numbers, colors, and gardening are combined in this vividly illustrated counting book. The story starts as Max and Josephine plant a garden, first 1 watermelon seed, then 2 pumpkin seeds, and so on all the way to 10. The phrase, "and they grew" follows mention of each new set of seeds. The graphic-style illustrations depict the seedlings as they grow, with an occasional gardening glove, tool, watering can, or young hand inserted into the scenes. After a center spread with colorful plants filling the pages to capacity and Max and Josephine busy at work, it's time for the harvest. The fruits and vegetables are so plentiful that they must be counted in tens: "ten watermelons, big and green, and twenty pumpkins, glowing orange." The vibrant colors and close-up views of the produce make it look delicious and irresistible. Later, on a cold winter night, the children turn "one hundred ears of corn" into "100s and 1000s of big, white crunchy puffs" of popcorn. Throughout the book, the text runs along the bottom of the double-paged illustrations, with the numerals, in bright colors, lining up beneath. This appealing book is great for classroom counting and discussions of seasons. Pair it with Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt, 1987).—Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
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Review

"One Watermelon Seed offers countless (pun intended!) early learning opportunities and is a valuable resource for all school and public library collections.
Highly Recommended"
-- CM Magazine

"Luxuriant illustrations, a counting lesson that goes beyond 1 to 10, and the fun of hunting for hidden creatures: this new edition of One Watermelon Seed is sure to be a hit with both preschoolers and those who read to them."
-- ForeWord Magazine

"First published in 1986, this new, delicious edition with its brightly coloured digital illustrations belongs in the first rank of books of its genre: the counting book."
-- The Globe and Mail

"The vibrant colors and close-up views of the produce make it look delicious and irresistible. . . This appealing book is great for classroom counting and discussions of seasons."
-- The School Library Journal

"Lottridge's text is musical and brief, while Patkau's illustrations celebrate the abundant colour of a summer garden."
-- The Toronto Star

"As I write this, seeds are beginning to sprout in my own children's vegetable garden and the excitement of my family is palpable. So, too, is the pleasure in this book, which takes the delight of coaxing food out of the earth and matched it with the thrill of sharing a book with a loved one. . . Bright illustrations boost the joy of reading this delightful book."
-- Today's Parent

About the Author
Celia Barker Lottridge is a storyteller and a multi-award winning author of picture books and novels for children, including The Name of the Tree, Ticket to Curlew, Wings to Fly, and The Little Rooster and the Diamond Button. Formerly a children's librarian and bookseller, Celia was born in Iowa City and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Karen Patkau is an author, designer, visual artist and visual arts educator. She has illustrated a number of picture books, including Don't Eat Spiders, Sir Cassie to the Rescue, and Creatures Great and Small, which she also wrote. Her honors include the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Medal, the International Graphic Design Award, and a Resource Links "Best of the Year." Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Karen lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Customer Reviews

One Seed, One Hundred Watermelons!
If you teach kindergarten and you plant seeds with your class, then this is a book for you! Two children, one boy and one girl, plant a garden. They begin by planting one watermelon seed. They continue planting, two seeds, then three, all the way to ten. For each number, a different kind of seed is planted. When they examine the fruits of their labor, they find their yeild is ten times what they originally planted! This is a great book to reinforce counting by tens. Some of the vegetables are actually grouped into noticeable groups of ten. Color words and other adjectives are used to describe every fruit or vegetable in their harvest. This book is filled with concepts that are introduced in kindergarten and a great addition to my classroom library!

Wonderful staple children's book
First published in 1986, One Watermelon Seed is a children's counting book that teaches young people about the numbers one through ten - followed by the numbers ten through one hundred! Two children Max and Josephine count the many seeds, plants, and harvested crops in their garden; their efforts are brought to brilliant life with vibrant color illustrations and easy-to-follow text. Each two-page spread perfectly illustrates the number being taught in this wonderful staple children's book, especially recommended for public library collections.