Emma's Sunflower

What a cute story!

This one reminded me so much of my childhood. My great grandmother would become aggravated with crows who took the food of the little birds, but without the crows the sunflowers may not have all grown.

I loved that outlook from this story and the focus on also teaching how the seeds dropped by birds sprout to become the sunflowers and how they grow.

This is something that happens in my yard every spring and I loved that little piece of my happiness being included here.

I would recommend this book to any child who loves nature and beautiful things.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Having enjoyed Rupert’s Snowman I was delighted to received an early readers’ copy of the latest book by the same author and illustrator.

Emma’s Sunflower is another wonderfully envisioned story of the natural world and the seasons which promise renewal and new life. The words are clear and memorable adding colour to further recount the story of the world through Emma’s window.

From which she delights in watching birds feed from her seed dispenser. She is not best pleased when a mean and selfish crow prevents others from feeding freely and she vainly tries to shoo it away.

I appreciated the sense of time changing through the calendar year despite this being just a simple short story. I loved the words that created pictures in themselves and then the illustrations which allowed the text to come alive. The angle and point of view change nearly with every page and we see leaves dancing to the ground, blossom falling like snow and birds on telegraph lines like notes in a musical score.

A book to treasure and share. A book to promote a conversation and which demands to be read again and again.

First of all, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! I love this story about Emma and the way it details the cycles of the seasons. Nature is such an impressive component of our human life and to be able to display and teach that to children in such a well rounded way that leaves room for children to ask questions and start further conversation. This book is fantastic for all kids and will leave a lasting impression on how one learns about the cycles of nature.

This delightful story about a sunflower that grows because of seeds dropped from a bird feeder is beautifully illustrated. The book would be the perfect addition to a classroom learning about the seasons, as it clearly illustrates how the seasons are a cycle that repeats. I loved the events in the middle of the story (the festive lights, the countdown to Emma’s birthday) because those are the big events that help young children mark time. I think this book would resonate with many students, and would be a fantastic way to talk about seeds, the seasons, and life cycles. I recommend this book for any home or classroom.

This book brings to life the idea that sometimes the most beautiful experiences come from the saddest of times. Sweet Emma was certainly hurt the greenfinches were chased away, but without the devastation from the big black crow the sunflowers would have never grown. It’s a story of patience and having faith that not everything that goes wrong, will stay wrong. Both the words and illustrations are beautiful, they compliment each other wonderfully. I certainly recommend this story to any educator, parent, or child themself!

"Emma's Sunflower" is a beautifully illustrated and written story. All four seasons are so wonderfully represented along with the changes in the seasons being highlighted. At one point in the story, color words were used which allowed the reader especially those beginning readers to be able to code and decipher the words. This book was a great showcase of Science observations and making real-life connections as well. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This is a charming book about a little girl named Emma who observes the beauty and wonderment of Mother Nature through her window. She has a bird feeder in her garden which she has packed full of sunflower seeds. An adorable family of greenfinches happily jostle around to feed and fill up their tummies. A mean black crow has been watching and he swoops down demanding all the seeds for himself sending the startled greenfinches flying. Emma rushes out to shoo the intruder away but her attempt fails. Each time the crow pecks at the feeder random seeds fall to the ground and snuggle into the soil. The greenfinches are banished by the crow but he remains at the feeder pecking away getting fatter and fatter and FATTER.

Autumn progresses into Winter and Winter evolves into Spring. The new season arrives with beautiful April showers and warm sunlight which causes the sunflower seeds to sprout. Fast forward to July ( Summer season ) when Emma celebrates her birthday. On the morning of her long awaited day something catches her eye, something very special. It's big and round and bright sunny yellow with ladybugs positioned to form a smile on it's face just for Emma. It's the best birthday present ever! Can you guess what it might be?
Another birthday surprise is that her surprise attracts the adorable greenfinch family back to Emma's garden.

This sweet simple story with it's lovely illustrations allows the reader to experience the marvel of the four seasons and the miracle of seeds germinating, growing, and finally bursting forth into blossom. I love the dyslexic friendly font included and the activities provided at the end of the book with a link to the author's website to access even more activities. I highly recommend this book.

My 4 year old twins and I enjoyed this sweet book. The illustrations were colorful and beautiful. Emma’s bird feeder reminded my daughters of their own bird feeder in the backyard. Even though the crow scares off all the little birds, his scattering of seeds causes beautiful sunflowers to grow. This is a good lesson that even when things seem to be going all wrong, things can work out for the best in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Purple Butterfly Press for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This children’s picture book is a delightful story about nature that happens outside of Emma’s bedroom window. It details the life cycle and seasons of the finches that visit her birdfeeder filled with sunflower seeds. In today’s world, we often forget about nature as we are so engrossed with electronic technology. I appreciate that this author is drawing children’s minds back to nature.
I am impressed that the illustrator, who is dyslexic, uses a specific font to keep from interchanging letters in the story. I am encouraged by the illustrator’s example.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and calming, thus taking me back to my childhood when it was fun to explore nature as we didn’t have the technology of today.

I appreciate the activities at the back of the book as they encourage the children to further explore nature.

I think that any child ages toddler to early elementary would love this book! It would make a beautiful addition to any home, preschool, or elementary classroom.

We used to take my daughter on frequent nature walks. A nature walk would be a perfect activity to take your child in after reading this picture book.

I want to thank Author Phillipa Warden, Illustrator Grace Ward, Purple Butterfly Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this Advanced Reader’s Copy. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.