Sprout, Seed, Sprout!

In this quiet story told in threes about being observant, patient, and thankful for small gifts, a child prepares an avocado seed to germinate, using “One glass of water. Two careful hands. Three pointy toothpicks.” As soon as he sees “One root! Two roots! Three roots!” he transfers it to a pot. Sookocheff’s spare, white, cream, and gray illustrations make the pot a focal point, emphasizing the boy’s anticipation and frustration at the tree’s slow growth. After the boy grumpily declares: “I... give... up!”, a stem breaks through. Sweetly, as the boy plants the avocado seed in the soil, he offers “three magic words: ‘I love you.’ ” Dunklee captures the special joy of seeing a personal project come to fruition. Ages 3–7. [em](Mar.) [/em]