Wait Like a Seed

As milkweed grows from seed to shoots to new buds to flowers, two young children also wait, reach, hope, and bloom among the monarchs that share its life cycle.

“Alladin draws parallels between children and a growing milkweed plant in this sweet nature story….The back matter is extensive, with illustrated spreads devoted to the life cycles of milkweed and monarch butterflies, ‘fascinating facts,’ information on the monarchs’ migration, and a glossary.”—Booklist

Wait Like a Seed is published by Pajama Press.

Picture book ages 4–7 | 32 pages | 978-1-77278-338-4 HC | 978-1-77278-359-9 PB

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Wait like a seed,
Cozy and small.
Wait like a seed
‘Til the spring rains fall.

Wait Like a Seed beautifully explores the life cycle of milkweed and its vital relationship to monarch butterflies. Complete with accurate botanical drawings and comprehensive back-matter detailing the life cycles of plants and butterflies, this timeless story is perfect for both school curriculums and curious children who enjoy nature. Children will be inspired to help save the diminishing population of monarch butterflies in their own environment. This book combines the wonders of nature with poetic text and warm and welcoming art.

Award-winning author Erin Alladin invites young gardeners to celebrate the world around them in this rhyming nonfiction text.

Illustrator Tara Anderson portrays these lifecycles with a nostalgic style, effectively capturing the wonder of the aspiring gardeners.

Praise for Wait Like a Seed

“It tells its own story of imaginative and educational play, helping children to grow in their own way.”—CanLit for Little Canadians

“Of the many titles available on milkweeds and monarchs, this is one of the most accessible for youngsters reading on their own….while older readers and adults will appreciate the extensive backmatter….Useful and enlightening—and certain to have youngsters observing the natural world with wonder.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Declarative second-person verse and friendly renderings combine for an effect that communicates guidance about growing up as much as about cultivating plants….Science-focused back matter includes life cycle information, a glossary, and further facts.”—Publishers Weekly 

“Wait Like a Seed is a book that can grow with your children…[and encourage them] to explore and protect the natural world around them”—The Ontario Woodlander

“Wait Like a Seed tells a story about milkweed and the life cycle of monarch butterflies to impart valuable lessons to young readers.”—Bay Today 

“Wait Like a Seed isn’t just a lesson about ecosystem life cycles. It’s also a life lesson about the importance of feeling connected to the life around us.”—705 Black Fly 

“A seed is patient. It waits for the spring rains to sprout, grow, and then bloom. Be like a seed. Grow sturdy roots, Sprout up high. Smile like a flower. Hold like a pod. Pop out your own seeds to fly to new places. This gentle rhyming story has soft illustrations that compare the reader to the seed, and the possibilities a seed holds. End pages show the life cycle of a milkweed plant from seed until the plant releases its own seeds. It also shows the life cycle of monarch butterflies, which are dependent on the milkweed plants. Further information about this connection is included as well as a glossary, bibliography, and website list.” —Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children’s and Young Adult Literature

“Wait Like a Seed mixes poetry and the life cycle of a Milkweed plant to both teach and inspire young readers. I like that on the side with text, there is a simplified image of the plant and what part is being described, and on the next page is a lovely illustration of children interacting with nature and observing the growing plant. The backmatter provides valuable information on the life cycle of a milkweed plant and a Monarch butterfly, and the facts about Monarch butterflies enhance the learning value of the book.”—YA Books Central