The Sunflower Farmer

by Jessica Gunderson, Ryan Haugen (Illustrator)

Overview

Troy’s dream is to be a farmer like his grandfather, so his mother helps him plant sunflower seeds in their backyard. When the sprouts form buds and are ready to bloom, disaster strikes! Will the sunflowers survive and bloom, or will Troy watch his flowers wilt?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666305241
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Series:	Read-it! Readers: Science
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Jessica Gunderson grew up in the small town of Washburn, North Dakota. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has written more than fifty books for young readers. Her book Ropes of Revolution won the 2008 Moonbeam Award for best graphic novel. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and cat.

Editorial Reviews

The Sunflower Farmer is a beginner reader about a boy who wants to be a farmer like his grandfather. He is determined to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. He visits the older man every week and listens to stories about his grandfather’s farm days. Troy finds out weather can help or damage crops. Although Troy’s grandfather doesn’t farm anymore, he still owns farmland. One day, Troy’s mother takes him to visit the farm. Troy admires the sunflowers and wants to grow some in his backyard, so he gathers seeds from the flowers to take home. In the spring, Troy plants the seeds in a garden he has prepared. Then he waits and waits for the seeds to grow into flowers. But it takes a long time, and when Troy tells his grandfather, the response is that farming takes patience. The plants begin to grow, then are threatened by the weather. Will they ever bloom? Colorful illustrations, short sidebars, directions on how to grow sunflowers, a glossary, further reading, and website are included. The author has told a story of family relationships, while educating readers about life science, weather, and sunflowers.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database Newsletter

These four books are part of the Read-it! Reader Science series of books and are designed to encourage the cultivation of problem-solving skills in midlevel elementary-school-age readers. All four books are written around some aspect of plant cultivation, which is integral to solving a problem in each book. For instance in The Grass Patch Project, a new student in class proposes to beautify the school grounds by planting a patch of grass for an Earth Day project, and in Friends and Flowers, a young girl who has just moved to town is told that she will have a new friend by the time a tulip, which she planted, has flowered. The text surrounding these issues then focuses on aspects of cultivation of the featured plant. The scientific content of the books is good for this level of reader. Although most of each book is written as dialogue, there are sidebars describing in more detail, for example, just what compost is. Each book contains a short glossary at the end, as well as an activity related to the book. Taken together, the four books show a nice cross section of urban and rural society, with different ages, sexes, and ethnicities represented. I recommend this series highly, particularily in an elementary setting in which environmental or gardening activities are part of the curriculum.

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