Small Readers: See it Grow: Sunflower by Joyce Markovics

This is part of Bearport's Little Bits imprint, which publishes easy readers. This particular series explains the life cycle of plants including apples, coconuts, cranberries, oak trees, pumpkins and sunflowers.

The book begins with germination, follows the sunflower through growth, budding and flowering, and and talks about the animals who use the pollen and seeds.

A final set of facts adds some more details about sunflowers. A simple glossary defines the words bud, pollen, roots, shoot, and stem. There is a simple index and a few additional titles to read.

The large font, simple language, and bold photographs make this an excellent easy reader. On the other hand, Bearport's easy readers are an odd shape - this one is 8x8 - which offends my sense of order. They're also much more expensive than the average easy reader. I am more likely to expend the money to purchase animal titles from Bearport, which are guaranteed popularity in the easy reader nonfiction section. However, with many kindergartens doing units on the plants included in this series, I think it would add a great dimension to the themed baskets I pull for them.

Verdict: Well-written and an excellent lay-out, but make sure it's a topic your library can use before expending the money.

ISBN: 9781627248433; Published 2016 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher