The Dandelion Seed

The Dandelion Seed is a charming story excellent for children ages 3-10. Joseph Anthony tells the journey of a single dandelion seed traveling around the world from autumn to spring. The beautiful illustrations by Cris Arbo appear life-like.
The seed flew in the wind as it passed homes, cars,

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cities, oceans, and mountains. It landed on snowy ground and endured winter. “Finally spring came. Sunshine warmed the air and the soil, and the little seed began to grow tiny leaves and roots.” Deer and rabbits ate the green leaves while bumblebees tasted its sweet nectar. The beginning of the story, when one dandelion seed was afraid to let go, was reintroduced at the end. The journey of a seed begins all over again.
I enjoyed reading this story to a group of four year olds. They gazed at the pictures and asked me to reread the story. I also read The Dandelion Seed to a fourth grade class. These fourth graders were interested in the story as much as the preschoolers. They shared stories about finding dandelions and blowing the seeds.
This story would be a great introduction to a lesson about seed dispersal. Students can learn the four main ways seeds are dispersed and experiment how seeds are dispersed from their parent plant. Dandelion seeds are carried by the wind, but other seeds float in water, stick to animal fir, or shoot out from the parent plant. Students could relate seeds that are carried by the wind with the dandelion seed from this story. Another lesson plan idea would be to teach students about how plants grow and/or what plants need in order to grow.

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