A Weed Is a Seed

Optimism runneth over in this picture book about finding all the silver linings that nature has to offer. In rhyming verse, Wolff (The Emperor's Garden) points out the down side of such natural wonders as moths, sand, earthworms and air, and then extolls their virtues: ""A breeze brings a sneeze/ to a sensitive nose/ that gets itches from roses and hay. / But a breeze in the trees/ and a cool lemonade/ ease the heat of a bright summer day."" Readers may find themselves in the middle of a page-turning guessing game here, since positive and negative points never appear on the same spread. Debut artist Pedersen's loosely composed watercolor and ink artwork possesses a whimsical, lightly comic spirit that prevents the book from becoming overly Pollyanna-ish. An effective food-for-thought exercise inspired by Mother Nature. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)