Sebastian’s Sunflower

Sebastian plants and cares for a sunflower in this STEAM-themed picture book about a family of gardeners and the life cycle of a sunflower. Bursting with seasonal appeal, creativity, science, and sunflowers, and illustrated with a cut-paper technique called quilling, this picture book comes from the creator of Just a Worm, Marie Boyd. Features backmatter including a quilling project.

At the farmer’s market, Sebastian buys a sunflower seedling. It doesn’t look like a real sunflower yet, but with water, plenty of sun, and an abundance of care, Sebastian’s sunflower blooms. But then, as fall arrives, the sunflower hangs its head. Sebastian is upset. Why would his sunflower do that? He took such good care of it! He doesn’t want his sunflower to die, or for the squirrels or raccoons to eat its seeds.

With a little help from his parents, Sebastian learns about the life cycle of a sunflower and the value of sunflower seeds. Sebastian’s Sunflower is a great choice for science classrooms, budding gardeners, and fans of My Garden, The Carrot Seed, and Nell Plants a Tree.

Sebastian’s Sunflower is rich with STEAM themes, including:

• The life cycle of a sunflower
• The various uses of sunflower seeds, such as food for small animals or a delicious topping for salads
• Hands-on collaboration
• Math and Earth Sciences
• An introduction to gardening terminology
• Quilling, an ancient art in which hand-cut strips of colored paper are shaped, layered, and glued to produce lush, three-dimensional illustrations
• An art project for readers to try quilling at home