The Carrot Seed

Title: The Carrot Seed
Author: Ruth Krauss

Illustrator: Crockett Johnson

The voice of reason says, "not a chance", "give up", "don't bother" - what do you do? Do you ignore all these negative opinions? Not if you're a little boy with buckets full of hope and determination, and one carrot seed.

This short, charming story is about a little boy who plants a carrot seed in the ground. His mother says, "I'm afraid it won't come up"; his father says, "I'm afraid it won't come up"; and his brother says, "It won't come up". But that doesn't stop the little boy from giving his carrot patch lots of attention and nurturing. He tends to it everyday. Everyone kept saying he should give up, but his determination was stronger than his doubt. And then one day, what happens? I'll let Crockett Johnson's picture tell the rest of the story. If you enjoy Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon (like I do), then you'll enjoy these illustrations too.

The story's message is simple: when you believe in something, do not let the naysayers steer you off course.

Craft idea: Plant a bean seed in an enviro-friendly, decompostable, paper cup (making sure to decorate the cup first, of course). Make a little vegetable label and attach to the toothpick to identify the contents of the cup (you'll see what I'm getting at when you see the book's illustrations).

Game idea: (ages 4 and up) Play a game of concentration with different vegetable pictures. Have the children name the image of vegetable (or read the word on the card). It's a game for memory and learning new words.

Program themes: gardening, vegetables, cooking

Other recommended title: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Ages 3 to 6