The View from Below

In the garden, a seed falls. The animals are blissfully unaware that anything is amiss until their underground homes are starting to crack, their above ground home is blocked by a giant plant, and they have to do so much extra digging to make their way around the roots they are exhausted.

In the clever new book and then the Seed grew, Marianne Dubuc creates the loveliest little story about how animals both above ground and below ground are affected by a plant growing amongst them.  Her illustrations are so charming because not only do you get to see what is happening above ground, you also get a glimpse of the plant’s effects on the animals that live underground, like the ants, worms, moles and mice.  She gives us lovely cross sections of homes so you can see inside and really have a concrete idea of how the pesky plant roots affect those living under ground. And then the Seed grew is a wonderful story, perfect for exploring the life cycle of a plant and introducing biodiversity to young children.  For all you lovers of Richard Scarry, you need to add some Marianne Dubuc picture books to your shelves. Her design and illustration concepts are very similar to Richard Scarry in showing the cross sections of homes however her stories are a little more whimsical, leave room for more imagination and exploration.  

Most of her work publishes in french first and thankfully Kids Can Press picked up the rights to publish this beautiful addition to bookshelves.  If you are looking for the french version you can find it under the title Le jardin de Jaco