A Seed Needs Sun

Italian illustrator Dogi paints with an eye toward detail, be it the ragged edges of a decaying autumn leaf or the nubbly skin of a toad, in a board book that examines the various “needs” involved in turning a seed into a flower. Riggs limits the text to simple, repetitive sentences (“Dirt needs water. Roots need room”), keeping the focus on full-bleed images that showcase activity above and below the soil; worms and a mole burrow underground, while the focal seed sprouts strong, green leaves and delicate yellow flowers. An attractive study of the process of growth. Ages 2–up. (Apr.)