Little Dandelion Seeds the World

“Swish, swirl, one hundred seeds fly. / One little seed flies with the wind, far, far away.”

This story follows dandelion seeds across continents. It begins with a vibrant illustration of a girl blowing on a dandelion, then we as the audience follow one of those dandelion seeds to Africa. The page is illustrated with a Saharan plain and a cheetah. Next, we see an elephant stomp on a dandelion puff and the seeds fly away, with one reaching Asia, and so on. The story covers all seven continents, though using Australia instead of Oceania, with animals native to these continents.

Little Dandelion Seeds the World takes an ecocentric perspective in the narrative’s focus on the seed and decentering of humans. It would be a useful introduction to the interconnectedness of our earth and how seeds may travel to other places. It would also be useful for discussions of nearby nature. Dandelions are found on every continent, and this would present a personal connection for students as they see these flowers in their day-to-day life, particularly during spring. Educators could use this story to talk about the plant life cycle through its emphasis of the dandelion’s growth from seed to shoot to flower. This is particularly useful as a read aloud because of the use of rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia in the narration.

©2024 ClimateLit (Rachelle Saint Louis)

More:

  • The author’s note includes some more information on dandelions.
  • Julia Richardson has a teaching guide linked on her website.

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2021

Pages: 40

Lexile Score: AD360L

ISBN: 9781534179295

Audience: Ages 4-7

Format: Picturebooks

Topics: Biodiversity, Ecocentrism, Interconnectedness, Land Care, Nature, Nearby Nature, Plant Life Cycle, Plant Needs, Plants, Seeds, Sustainability

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