From Seed to Maple Tree: Following the Life Cycle(Amazing Science: Life Cycles)

What does a seed need to grow? What color flowers does a sugar maple tree have? Let your mind bloom as you learn about the life cycle of a sugar maple tree.

About the Author :
Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids and teens. Her work has received the Minnesota Book Award and other honors, including Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and NCTE Notables. She and her husband live in Minnesota and have two monsters of their own, Maddie and Annabelle. When Laura's not reading or writing, she likes to dance, play games, and work with the Minnesota Brass drum corps (which involves a lot of Counting, following Patterns, and creating Shapes on the field). She tries to eat More vegetables and Less brownies, but that is hard! Learn more about Laura at laursalas.com.

Review :
Author Purdie Salas has written an early reader's science book about the life cycle of a maple tree. The book begins with a brief explanation of the life cycle of a maple tree and then tells the story of how trees begin as seeds. When the seeds sprout, they begin to send their roots into the soil. As they grow, a stem pushes through the soil and upward and the seed becomes a seedling. Sun and water help the seedling grow. When the seedling grows to more than six feet tall, it is called a sapling--a young tree. When it reaches thirty or forty years old, it is called an adult tree. Sugar maples can live up to 400 years and grow more than 100 feet tall. A new cycle of life begins when an adult tree grows flowers. The female parts of the flower make eggs while the male parts make pollen. Pollen is carried by the wind, bees and other insects and is spread over the female eggs. This is called pollination. The sugar maple flowers grow into fruits. Inside the fruit is a seed. When the fruit ripens, it falls to the ground. This seed can grow into a sugar maple tree. When warm weather arrives, the seed will emerge and send its roots into the ground. The life cycle of a sugar maple begins again. Children can easily follow this clearly written picture book. The illustrations are large and colorful. Back material includes fun facts, a glossary, further reading and Internet sites.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database" Many books for children try to cover too many topics or include too much information in a single volume. Pleasantly, this book does neither! What the book does do is present a simple, straightforward description of a single chain of events centered around the life of a tree from seed to adult. With good pictures and easy-to-understand words, the author and illustrator have accomplished their goal. They base their approach around the seasonal life cycle of the tree and thus show that life is a continual regenerative process. They could have continued their dialogue by discussing environmental and human factors relating to the tree's success, but to their benefit, they did not. Leave that discussion for another effort. One negative point is the caption that deals with giant redwoods. Although the information given is correct, it appears out of place in a book otherwise dedicated entirely to the sugar maple. The text is nicely summarized in a graphic at the end of the book. In addition, there is just enough supplemental information at the end to prompt readers who are so inclined to seek further facts. Sometimes a work can be good by offering less. After reading this title, kids will know what those "helicopters" are that they encounter twirling to the ground. We used to stick them on our nose! If you want a small, easy-to-handle, simple book that explains a basic biological process, pick up a copy of this one. The publisher's information states that there are other, similar volumes in the Amazing Science: Life Cycles series. If these other volumes follow the same basic format of this title, see if you can get a deal on the entire series. Two stars-highly recommended.-- "Science Books & Films"