What Will Grow?

by Jennifer Ward, Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator)

Seeds can be big or small, round or pointy, and all sorts of colors. They can become flowers, trees, fruits, or vegetables, and they grow all times of year, during spring, summer, fall, and winter.

But all seeds have one thing in common--inside each is a new plant life waiting to emerge. What kind of plant will bloom? Wait and see what will grow!

This jacketed companion picture book to What Will Hatch? features all kinds of seeds, from flowers and trees to fruits and vegetables. Along with lyrical text and beautiful illustrations, the book includes four pull-out gate-folds and fascinating back matter about plants!

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Nature, Childrens, Nonfiction, Gardening, Animals

32 pages

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Jennifer Ward is the author of more than 25 award-winning nonfiction and fiction books for children and adults.

Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.

Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.

She writes full-time from her home in Illinois where she lives with her husband and two dogs and is easily distracted by everything outside of her windows - particularly if it has feathers!

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Will Grow? is an adorable little rhyming book about growing plants. There's not that much text which makes it great for very young readers. It's a great toddler book too and has a few surprise fold out pages.

Oval, Flat.
Soon Fat.
What Will Grow?... PUMPKIN.

The illustrations by Susie Ghahremani are colorful, interesting, and perfect with the story.

4****

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
I read quite a few children's books, but I don't rate them all on goodreads. This one, however, I felt was worthy to be shared with others. This picture book has a fresh and original feel to it that lyrically explores the world of seeds. The illustrations show what the individual seeds actually look like, and then it shows how they grow into specific plants. (The inner botanist in me, can't help but be impressed with the entire book.) I loved how some of the pages opened up into three, fold posters, too. Well done.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clever book about seeds and guessing what will grow. Soft wonderful colors for the illustrations and a few fold out pages are perfect. The end papers have a close up of many of the seeds used in this book.

The title is a repetitive phrase in the book making this a great read aloud for a group.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are lovely in this story about seeds. The reader learns how to grow them, how long they take to mature, and what grows from them. In the back pages there is more information on each of the 12 seeds-to-plants in this book. There are three fold out pages, too.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations set this book apart from the rest! Watch what happens when a seed finally sprouts in the many fold out pages of this book. Children will see the diversity of nature's seeds and all the amazing plants they grow into.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spot on perfect book focused on seeds for the very youngest. The colors of the illustrations are bright and big with accurate detail of the individual seed. The format is that of a question and answer. On the left hand side there is a brief question, followed by the refrain "what will grow". On the right hand side is the answer to the question. The two page spread illustrations show the seed, with various stages of growth of the plants and the final mature plant.
All of the seeds are accurately represented and I was amazed that the various leaves of the individual plants were so accurate in their individual stages of growth. I love this one.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read this gorgeous book with my 5-year-old daughter. We were marveling over how sublimely textured the art is, how rich the color is, and the sweet character moments to look for in each page (my daughter particularly liked the fox biting the tomato). The text is simple but fun and clever, and what was so cool is that my daughter could read this to ME on the first read. She really loved being able to do that. She's also been very into planting seeds lately, so this book came at the perfect time for us and prompted discussion after. It was a lovely reading experience. Thank you Jennifer Ward and Susie Ghahremani!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute delight! The kids and I especially loved the fold out/up/down pages where we could actually guess what would grow from the seed presented. Beautiful illustrations! Back matter has very basic information on "from seed to plant" and how to plant the various seeds depicted in the book. You'll need something else if you want more of the science behind how plants grow (consider Seed to Plant) but this is a wonderful accompaniment to any study of plants or for those who love gardens.

[Jennifer Heine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great interactive read for K-2!

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every child whether young or old will smile, feel enriched and inspired after spending time exploring this gorgeous book. I stress spending time, not only reading, as each page is full of surprises and important knowledge for all.
Particularly in these times of climate change and global environmental issues, it is wonderful to find a book that stresses the basics beauty found in Mother Nature. While discovering What Will Grow, one finds multiple pages, some of them fold out pages, illustrating and explains important cycles of life. The warm inviting illustrations make you feel like you've walked directly into a garden full of treasures and new friends.
As an artist, I particularly appreciate the attention to every little detail in the illustrations from the ladybugs to the seeds. The beautiful fold out pages keep you going back to enjoy and discovery new details each time.
As a grandmother, I appreciate a book written to help the next generation appreciate, learn and take time to look at the glorious environment which surrounds them out their own backyard. Protection begins when we can love and appreciate our environment. What Will Grow is a book I would like to see in every classroom and on every child’s book shelf as a way to reinforce that process.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, fun to read, some pages open up to reveal large plants.

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good simple, short book about plants with fold-outs to show the ways different things grow, up high, down low, etc. The only thing I found strange was that it wasn't consistent that every page had a fold out, which made those regular pages kind of boring to my 3.5 year old. She liked it, but mostly because of the folding, despite how excited I would LIKE her to be about seeds and gardening, haha.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhyming text looks at the different types of plants that sprout from a variety of seeds.

Text is read aloud friendly and back matter provides more info on each type of seed appearing in text as well as a look at a sunflower's life cycle from seed to plant.

Art was created with gouache on wood. Highly recommended for sharing with PreK-2.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 cheers to Susie Ghahremani for illustrating such an absolutely beautiful, peaceful book. I can image framing and hanging some of the illustrations in this book.

This book held my Zander's attention. He's 5 years old. What a fun book on guessing which seeds grow to be which plants. And what a helpful book in the back which tells you how best to plant each seed.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, rhyming text will appeal to the younger crowd, but will have mass appeal to teachers who are looking for texts to help cover planting/growing/life cycles. Great for 2nd grade NGSS.

[Mrs.Melaugh Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wonders of seeds are introduced in this fun, informative book that even young children could understand. Twelve seeds are introduced. Each features a four to five word rhyme followed by the repeated phrase “What will grow?” On the right, the plant that grows from that seed is shown along with wildlife (squirrels, birds, insects) that eat either the seed or the fruit of the seed. In four instances, a gatefold hides the plant. The folds cleverly change direction depending on what plant they reveal: upwards for tall sunflowers and a towering pine tree, downward for carrots, and sideways for a wide bed of lettuce. The last rhyme, “Dark deep. / Fast asleep.” shows a sleeping mole and insects along with all the previously introduced seeds in clumps underground. The next page shows “My garden!” with all the seeds sprouted into their plants. Each seed is repeated along with facts about when and how to sow it. Lastly, using a sunflower seed as an example, four steps show the life cycle of plants.

[Hayley DeRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book! This seasonally-structured book walks kids through different things that grow throughout the year with occasional flip-out pages. The text is sweet without being saccharine, and the illustrations are colorful and warm. I found myself wanting to slice out the sunflower flip-out page to frame. The additional pages at the end with information about all the seeds and the growing process are an added bonus to a charming picture book for little gardeners.

One downside I can see is younger readers having difficulty remembering which way the fold-outs flip, as they do not all go the same direction, and this could cause damage with eager little readers who flip the page the way they *think* it will fold out. Would recommend for preschooler who have some self control (so.......maybe caregivers reading to a preschooler, then).

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about plants - drawing a connection between the seeds and the "adult" plant.
The illustrations are very well done, and kids who are familiar with some of the seeds should be able to guess which plant will grow from the seed.
The book's back matter includes the plant life cycle and more details about how each seed grows & how long it takes for the seed to become a mature plant.
This would work well with preschool age and elementary age students who are studying plants and plant cycles. It would also pair well with a gardening project.
Kids enjoyed it.
Pull out pages may get damaged with young toddlers.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in the book are amazing! Lush colors and a simple yet engaging text makes "What Will Grow?" a wonderful interactive book for preschool aged children. "What Will Grow?" invites the readers to guess what is growing based on the plant structures poking up from the ground. I also like the use of rhyming text to help pace the story. This would be a wonderful companion book for teachers who are doing a segment on spring or gardening. The book also has a wonderful glossary of seeds with their growing instructions at the end of the book!

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author and illustrator pair who brought us What Will Hatch? return with another winning picture book. Here children get to guess what plant will emerge from the seeds being planted. Told in rhyme, the book invites guessing and participation. Some pages offer the answer immediately while others ask readers to fold out a page to see the answer. The book shows that seeds can turn into all kinds of different plants from carrots to sunflowers to pine trees. It also demonstrates the various shapes and colors that seeds come in.

The text has an welcoming tone that immediately asks children to participate in guessing. The rollicking rhyme and rhythm of the book adds to the pace and the fun. The text is basic enough for young toddlers to enjoy while the guessing will make the book fun for preschoolers. The book ends with information on each of the seeds, including when to plant them, how to plant them and when it will grow.

The illustrations have a wonderful natural feel to them. Seeds pepper the pages that are also filled with the greens of plant life. Animals appear as well: a fox snatches a tomato from the vine, a squirrel holds an acorn, a monarch sits atop milkweed. There’s a sense of a complete ecosystem on each page with each plant shown in its habitat. The gatefold pages add a lot of appeal, folding down to show long carrots underground and folding up for tall sunflowers and trees.

A wonderful warm new picture book to celebrate the arrival of spring and gardening. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

From seed to full-grown plant.

This book has a short rhyme on every two page spread, ending "What will grow? ______"

Example: Seed sow. In a row. What will grow? Lettuce.

Shows the huge variety in the way seeds look.

There are lots of fold-out pages. They're super effective for sunflowers (where it unfolds upwards to show the tall flower) and carrot (where it unfolds down to show the carrot in the ground.)

Back matter gives more info on each type of seed shown.

[Rachael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GORGEOUS book with detailed poetry introducing different seed types, and at the end even gives instructions for how to sow each type of seed mentioned in the story. This would be a great book to read to little ones when introducing a gardening unit, or with older students looking at informational texts, poetry, and descriptive language. I love love love this book and will 100% make sure this is in my library from the get-go.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my playtime, partially because everyone seems to be planting a garden these days. The engaging format makes it interesting to read but not too crazy fragile to handle (fold-out pages instead of flaps or pop-ups augment the illustrations). Short enough to hold attention, with a little information at the back about how seeds grow into plants. A solid pick for any second (small) set of hands that may be helping in the garden.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cleverly illustrated account of many vegetables and plants that can be found in gardens. Animals adorn each page and some even open out to better illustrate how plants grow (underground, high into the sky, etc). Lots of new vocabulary even though the text is rather sparse. Good for ages 4 and under.

[Kelly Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great book about plants and seeds and how they grow. There are flaps and extended drawings and the illustrations are wonderful. It a great book to introduce the idea of growing a garden or other plants to children. I would pair this book with other "seed" or "growing" books like Elhert's "Planting a Rainbow" or "Growing Vegetable Soup."

[Peggy Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT WILL GROW? is a beautiful book about the coming of spring. "Roly, round. Rain-soaked ground. What will grow?" Beautiful illustrations with four 'lift-the-flap' pages show what grows from different seeds as spring arrives. Lovely double-spread at the end, and more information about the seeds in back matter.

[Faith Tydings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great nomination for the Blue Crab Award...at least in my opinion! Simple sentence structure, informative, engaging, great illustrations, and a fun book to read. Some of the pages pull out and you just never know what you are going to get. The back matter is full of information about seeds and sowing and harvesting. This is a great nonfiction for beginner readers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book, and I really like the fold-out pages. The pages without fold-outs fall a little flat, since the "answer" is right on the same page. Several of the plants also do not grow in the area where I live, so they were unfamiliar to the children to whom I read this book, but that's OK.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this book! My 3 year old loves the animals which appear on different pages, and this sweet book introduced her to how different plants grow from different seeds, paired with beautiful illustrations. We read this and then started some different seeds in a jar which brought the concepts in this lovely book even more to life for my daughter.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 21 month old grandson and I loved this simple book and the pretty illustrations. There were a lot of things to look at and the few pages that opened up were a lot of fun for him. I was surprised at the details he picked up on like the little lady bug in most of the pictures. This will be a good one to return to when he's a little older to learn about different seeds and how they grow.