The Carrot Seed

Rating:
Summary: Cute, but much to young to be consideded a preschool book
Review: Though the story is simple, the message is grand. If you want to teach your children the value of persistence, this would be a very nice book to add to your children's library.

As the little boy is repeatedly told his efforts are in vain, he quietly goes about his business and, in the end, he is rewarded for his labor. You can use this story to help your children overcome the naysayers they are sure to encounter in life. (Of course, they will also need to learn the value of listening to and heeding wise advice - but that can always be taught from another story.)

Rating:
Summary: A lesson in persistence paying off
Review: Though the story is simple, the message is grand. If you want to teach your children the value of persistence, this would be a very nice book to add to your children's library.

As the little boy is repeatedly told his efforts are in vain, he quietly goes about his business and, in the end, he is rewarded for his labor. You can use this story to help your children overcome the naysayers they are sure to encounter in life. (Of course, they will also need to learn the value of listening to and heeding wise advice - but that can always be taught from another story.)

Rating:
Summary: Mother from Menlo Park, CA
Review: Very simple illustrations and text drive home the very simple (but often forgotten) point that you should believe in yourself and not listen to what the naysayers think. If you do, you will have success and fulfillment. This is a wonderful book for toddlers. Despite the lack of modern/fanciful graphics, my 20 month-old son loves this book and insists on reading it multiple times.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet without being overwhelming
Review: When the New York Public Library announced its "100 Children's Picture Books Everyone Should Know" for 2003, I had never heard of "The Carrot Seed". It isn't as if the author and illustrator are unknown. After all, illustrator Crockett Johnson welded the pen that created "Harold's Purple Crayon". Yet the book recommended on this list is certainly one of his lesser known titles.

"The Carrot Seed" is a simple story of a boy and his burgeoning carrot. Informed by his family members, one by one, that his carrot will not grow and that any actions to help it are useless, he ignores them bravely. Initially when I looked at this book I was certain that its protagonist sported a yarmulke. This is not the case. I believe it is more of a jaunty cap. The book itself is very straightforward, with accompanying pictures of relative simplicity. Additionally, the payoff at the end is sweet and funny, but not particularly unexpected. You're not going to find any real surprises in this book and, admittedly, I'm a little amazed that it's so well remembered. Much of its popularity stems, I'm sure, from the lesson learned. This is a book about the benefits of perseverance. If that's your cup of tea, so be it. But if you'd like to delve into some of Crockett's better works, check out "Harold's Purple Crayon" or his little known (but lovely) comic strip "Barnaby".

Rating:
Summary: Sweet without being overwhelming
Review: When the New York Public Library announced its "100 Children's Picture Books Everyone Should Know" for 2003, I had never heard of "The Carrot Seed". It isn't as if the author and illustrator are unknown. After all, illustrator Crockett Johnson welded the pen that created "Harold's Purple Crayon". Yet the book recommended on this list is certainly one of his lesser known titles.

"The Carrot Seed" is a simple story of a boy and his burgeoning carrot. Informed by his family members, one by one, that his carrot will not grow and that any actions to help it are useless, he ignores them bravely. Initially when I looked at this book I was certain that its protagonist sported a yarmulke. This is not the case. I believe it is more of a jaunty cap. The book itself is very straightforward, with accompanying pictures of relative simplicity. Additionally, the payoff at the end is sweet and funny, but not particularly unexpected. You're not going to find any real surprises in this book and, admittedly, I'm a little amazed that it's so well remembered. Much of its popularity stems, I'm sure, from the lesson learned. This is a book about the benefits of perseverance. If that's your cup of tea, so be it. But if you'd like to delve into some of Crockett's better works, check out "Harold's Purple Crayon" or his little known (but lovely) comic strip "Barnaby".