SAVING DELICIA: A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams, by Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola, Flyaway Books, April 9, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 3-7)
A young girl creates a seed bank after learning her favorite tree is about to go extinct in Saving Delicia: A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams, by Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola.
Kari’s favorite parts of summer are eating juicy fruit from the delicia tree and listening to stories from Old Otis. But now the last remaining delicia is in danger. What if this beloved tree dies out? Is there anything one girl can do? With inspiration, information, and a pocketful of seeds, Kari sets out to craft a surprise for Otis―and for the future.
This story celebrates the connections between generations, emphasizing that small steps can have a big impact when one looks beyond the present. An author’s note about seed banks around the world is included. —Synopsis provided by Flyaway Books
Saving Delicia is a story about connection to other people and connection to nature. Kari associates the delicia tree with friendship, with stories, and with sweet, tangy fruit. Blight is about to take away the tree, but Kari’s memories are intact. And those memories spur her to action.
Readers are introduced to the very real and important concept of seed banks through the fictional delicia tree. Author Laura Gehl’s warm and gentle text is comfortable to read aloud. It has a lovely rhythm to it that conveys feeling with few words. Equally lovely is Patricia Metola’s whimsical illustrations. Her use of white space and color convey emotion and energy throughout.
This is a great option for helping little readers understand the roles they can play in caring for our planet.
About the creators:
Laura Gehl is a former science teacher who still loves getting kids excited about science and nature . . . now through her books. She’s written more than forty books for young readers, including the Baby Scientist board book series, Odd Beasts, Odd Birds, Who Is a Scientist?, Apple and Magnolia, Who Dug This Hole?, and Climate Warriors. Gehl lives with her husband and four kids in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where she enjoys observing and exploring in the woods near her home. Visit Laura at lauragehl.com.
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