From School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-Miss Maple travels all summer looking for orphaned seeds that she can shelter and nurture until the following spring. Each one is treated like a treasured child, "all similar yet none the same." She teaches them what it means to be a seed and takes them on field trips to their natural habitats. At night, they are snuggled into cozy beds. When spring arrives, she releases them back out into the world where they can root and grow into whatever they are bound to be. Her repeated mantra, "Take care, my little ones, for the world is big and you are small," is as comforting and encouraging as Miss Maple herself. Though the text veers a bit toward cloying, the whole is masterfully redeemed by its visual charm. A rich palette of warm greens, burnt oranges, and peacock blues dominates the spacious watercolor and ink illustrations, which are completely enchanting. With her broad straw hat, full skirts, and kind face, Miss Maple is the perfect embodiment of a caregiver, whether sweeping the tree house porch, floating downriver with her charges in a green leaf boat, or flying home atop one of her large blue birds. Each page is filled with broad vistas, warm breezes, woodland creatures, and other whimsical imagery that cannot help but welcome readers into Miss Maple's world. With its positive message about the value of nurturing even the tiniest bit of the natural world, this book is simply wonderful.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Miss Maple, a tiny woman, lives in a snug house high up in a maple tree. During the summer, she flies off on a bird’s back and gathers “orphan seeds.” Keeping them safe through the winter snows and spring rains, she nurtures them in her home, takes them on field trips, and reads them stories each night. In May, Miss Maple puts her seeds into little baskets and sends them floating through the air or down the river to take root and grow. The clean, fluid lines and lovely shading of the ink-and-watercolor artwork gives the book a beguiling look that will go a long way toward charming parents as well as children. But for all the graceful fantasy depicted in this cozy woodland setting, kids may well linger longest on the page that realistically depicts and labels 20 seeds, ranging in size from raspberry to apple to pea to pumpkin to acorn. For classroom units, this picture book could add a fanciful counterpoint to more down-to-earth books on seeds. Preschool-Grade 1. --Carolyn Phelan
Review
“Confident artistry and an intuitive knowledge of what the world looks like to a very small person make a winning combination in Wheeler’s debut. . . . Careful observation of seeds (including a labeled seed chart), leaves, and plants gives the artwork substance, and Japanese woodblock–style skies that fade to sunset hues provide a wistful emotional overlay. Wheeler has clearly had a good time inventing fairy-house fixtures for Miss Maple: flower lantern boats and hollow-log houses make one yearn to escape our big, unwieldy world and inhabit hers.” — Publishers Weekly
“Completely enchanting. . . . Miss Maple is the perfect embodiment of a caregiver. . . . Each page is filled with broad vistas, warm breezes, woodland creatures, and other whimsical imagery that cannot help but welcome readers into Miss Maple’s world. With its positive message about the value of nurturing even the tiniest bit of the natural world, this book is simply wonderful.” — School Library Journal
About the Author
Eliza Wheeler (www.wheelerstudio.com) grew up in northern Wisconsin in a family of teachers, musicians, and artists. Some of the strongest influences on her creativity have been the wild Wisconsin seasons, canoeing the Brule River, picking blueberries with her grandmother, and digging through the snow with her brothers. She received the SCBWI Los Angeles International Conference Portfolio Grand Prize for her artwork, and Miss Maple’s Seeds is her first picture book. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
