This picture book is non-fiction (or nearly that)! Sometimes the best ways to learn about something are through a fun story. This certainly fills that need.
Daisylocks by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Cathy Morrison (Sylvan Dell, 2014) is a beautifully illustrated book about a daisy seed trying to find a place to grow that is “just right.” At first, as a child is planting her in the ground, she does not think it is right so she asks the wind to take her elsewhere. A hot desert; a cold, treeless plain; the top of a mountain; a tropical rainforest; a wetland; and a sandy beach are all not right for her. Some are too hot. Some are too cold. Some have ground that is too hard and others have ground that is too loose. There is not enough sunlight or not enough rain. Only being planted in the ground and carefully cultivated is Daisylocks going to bloom. I loved the gorgeous, realistic paintings in this book; I also loved the parallel to Goldilocks. The last pages of the books provide overviews and quizzes for educational extension of the text into a school setting.
