Sunflower House

This interesting book tells of children who plant sunflowers for some interesting ways. They use the sunflowers for some inventive fun in their very own backyard.

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LibraryThing member SummerLester

Sunflower House is a contemporary realistic fiction book. The story is about a boy who plants sunflower seeds in a circle instead of straight lines. They all grow tall and make the sunflower house for him and his friends to pretend in. The the summer season ends they are sad to see their house fall

but soon realize they have lots of seeds to share and prepare for next year.

This story reminded me of a place I loved to play when I was little. There was a place I called Maze Town. It was a bunch of overgrown vines but to me it was the most exciting place to play.

This book has lots of detail about plants growing so I would use it in a science unit. You could let each child plant their own sunflower seed to take home. You could also use this book when talking about the change of seasons and how it changes our environment and how it all returns again.

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LibraryThing member Jdonldsn

Cozy up with some iced tea and cookies for this great picture book about the cycle of life illustrated through a boy growing a sunflower ring to play inside. Eve Bunting and Kathryn Hewitt do a lovely job of inspiring the reader to enjoy the moment, let the past go, and look hopefully to the future.

LibraryThing member dukefan86

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers, so I enjoyed this book a lot! I like that the father encouraged imagination in planting the sunflower seeds in a circle, and that the children expanded their own imaginations in while playing in their "sunflower house." There's also a seasonal "circle of

life" message here. Another nice one by Eve Bunting.

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LibraryThing member dukefan86

Since I love sunflowers, I enjoyed reading and looking through this book! Nice way to show the seasonal changes of flowers.

LibraryThing member matthewbloome

Poetry about a child's sunflower patch/fort.

LibraryThing member kholec1

“Sunflower House” encourages children to use their imaginations. In this day in age children are obsessed over their phones, video games and computers, however they are missing out on all that nature has to offer them. During the summer, the young boy plants a circle of sunflower seeds and once

they grow the children use it as a house. They play in it everyday and have snacks. They even have sleepovers in this flower house. This shows children that they too can go outside, use their imaginations and have fun. This also shows children that even when something is gone a part of it can continue to carry on. Even though the sunflowers started dying, the children could pull the seeds out of the middle to save to plant next year. This is an important concept for kids to always know because they could apply it to other situations. If someone they know moves away or passes away a part of them will always be with them.

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LibraryThing member sconne7

I really enjoyed the book Sunflower House by Eve Bunting. It is a story of a young boy who plants a circle of sunflowers that turns into what him and his friends call the Sunflower House. Eventually the sunflowers die but they scatter the seeds to hopefully grow even more next summer. The

illustrations are detailed and could tell the story without reading the words. Also, the pages have a lot of rhyming lines, which is beneficial for struggling or emerging readers. For example, in the middle of the book it says, “Their petals open wide and spread a golden roof above my head. My friends come rushing down to see the sunflower house, hand grown by me. There’s lots of room inside for three. Mom brings us cookies and iced tea. But Mom and Dad can’t fit at all. They’re much too big and wide and tall.” The lines rhyme with each other, which makes reading easier and more fun for children. The coordinating picture is also very detailed and could tell that pages story successfully without reading a single word which is beneficial for students who prefer to use the pictures as context clues when they get stuck.

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LibraryThing member hollyegirard

My students would love this story because its about children who use their imaginations which will allow the students to be able to use their imaginations by the end of the story. I will use this to identify and resolve situations where there is no obvious solution.

LibraryThing member slovepb

A boy plants sunflower seeds in a ring and when they grow they become a cubby house. Great for growing, seeds, moving on.

LibraryThing member hart0521

Good book to read kids about gardening. Book shows how flowers bloom in summer and spring, but become brittle during the fall. It also shows how to re-plant the seeds so that they will bloom again.

LibraryThing member kitbraddick

This book reminded me of Paul Fleishman's Weslandia, This is a great book to supplement a science lesson. It shows the life cycle in the form of a story, so students are getting a scientific reference without realizing it. It shows the magic of nature, growth, and the life cycle. In today's

technological age it is easy for kids to forget about the greatness that nature has to offer. This book makes simple sunflowers sound more exciting than any ipad or xbox game. It is crucial to make students aware of the world around them. This type of book could be used in class with an activity of the class/students growing their own plant/lower to follow up.

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LibraryThing member jwesley

Sunflower House is about a boy who grows a circular sunflower garden in his backyard. When the sunflowers grow, he and his friends enjoy the area as a playhouse and their imaginations are endless. But when the sunflowers begin to die, the boy collects the seeds from the sunflowers and replant them

for the next season. The book is wonderful to read and create an activity that allows children to plant and nature their own sunflowers.

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LibraryThing member engpunk77

A delightful read for children perhaps before they plant their first garden or plant. The boy plants a large ring of sunflower's, worries/wonders if they'll ever come up (don't we all?), enjoys a "fort" of sorts inside this circle of tall sunflowers, mournfully watches them die, and picks the seeds

to do it all over again next spring.

My favorite lines:

"It's neat to think when something's gone/
a part of it goes on and on."

This little book is a celebration of a good, old-fashioned, small-town childhood.

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LibraryThing member uufnn

"A young boy creates a summer playhouse by planting sunflowers and save the seeds to make another house the next year."
book cover

Eve Bunting is a winner of the Caldecort Medal and numerous other awards. She grew up in Northern Ireland but now lives in California. She draws upon her childhood to

write about war, prejudice and other difficult topics from a child's perspective.

From Kathryn Hewitt's website, "Over the years I have illustrated more than twenty books, four of which I have also written. I live in Santa Monica, California with my boisterous family. When I'm not working on books, I enjoy riding my bicycle, swimming, and also climbing active volcanoes. Just kidding about the last one."

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LibraryThing member mferaci

Sunflower house is about a young boy who plants sunflowers with his parents. He meticulously takes care of his plants protecting them from birds and making sure they have enough water. Once the plants finally grow, the boy enjoys laying inside the ring of planted sunflowers. He and his friends use

the sunflowers as a playhouse because adults cannot fit inside. As the flowers begin to die, the boy is disappointed until he realizes he can take the seeds from the flowers to plant more for next year. I think this book is very cute and very original. I think the book as a whimsical aspect to it that I enjoyed as well.

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LibraryThing member NMiller22

A young boy creates a summer playhouse by planting sunflowers and saves the seeds to make another house the next year.

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