The Carrot Seed: 75th Anniversary

by Ruth Krauss

Book Overview

Celebrate 75 years of The Carrot Seed with a new foreword from Caldecott Honor picture book creator Kevin Henkes

When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waters his seed, and pulls the weeds, and he waits...

This beloved classic celebrates patience,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060233508
• ISBN13: 9780060233501
• Release Date: May 2020
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A classic!

A sweet and classic book! Purchased to use as part of a preschool curriculum. My girls ask me to read this over and over.

"The Carrot Seed" was one of my first books. I just bought new copies to give away to all the childr

Since children learn to read by being read to, start here to turn anyone on--from any country-- to a lifetime of success, joy, enrichment, excitement, learning, courage, adventure, regardless of background, race, nationality, religion, gender, or culture. Give the child a packet of carrot seeds and this book, within the first 2 years of age! Read it to whomever you meet! I first had this book of my very own, given to me as a gift, then I heard an enthusiastic reader tell this story on the '78' record player my parents had from their childhood. Mother and Father read this to me in the beginning, then I sat in front of the record player hearing this being read. After that I declared the words out loud, reading it for myself and recalling how to speak the words, pronouncing them carefully and with expression, that I understood from three sources! Now, my grown up family have an enormous library for our own reading, family members, and whoever desires to learn ANYthing!! We buy duplicates of books we value and give books as gifts more than any other gift!! I started with "The Carrot Seed" mostly children's stories, fairy tales, adventure, science, history, full of pictures, designs, fiction and non fiction. I have a Master's Degree in Education, English Teaching at all levels, ESL, & Creative Writing. My Beloved reads continually, as I do daily!!! biographies, history, sciences of all kinds, historical fiction. We love to collect books, artwork, music, movies, documentaries, all related to our studies and intense interests. We both LOVE to read & had our parents read to us, from a young age That is how we thrive!!

A lesson in persistence paying off

Though the story is simple, the message is grand. If you want to teach your children the value of persistence, this would be a very nice book to add to your children's library.As the little boy is repeatedly told his efforts are in vain, he quietly goes about his business and, in the end, he is rewarded for his labor. You can use this story to help your children overcome the naysayers they are sure to encounter in life. (Of course, they will also need to learn the value of listening to and heeding wise advice - but that can always be taught from another story.)

A true classic

My little boy loves this story. The simple pictures and the simple story line makes this a sure winner for little kids. The repetitive nature in the beginning leads to prereading skills. The moral is lovely. I like books that you can use as a jump start to other activities. We planted beans the other day to see if they would grow. Very nice book.

The Carrot Seed

I am a 7 year old boy, and I liked this book! We wrote a story of our own at school like this book. The story I wrote was about a moonflower. In The Carrot Seed, the boy is very likable and his carrot ends up growing humongous.

The granddaddy of all picture books in America

In his essay "Ruth Krauss and Me," author Maurice Sendak says "that perfect picture book, The Carrot Seed, the granddaddy of all picture books in America, a small revolution of a book that permanently transformed the face of children's book publishing. The Carrot Seed, with not a word or a picture out of place, is dramatic, vivid, precise, concise in every detail. It springs fresh from the real world of children." This is a timeless classic that has been known and loved by children and parents for years.A young boy is told by his parents, competition and his big brother that his carrot will not grow. After a long time of pulling weeds, watering and patience the carrot finally grows, and it is huge.The author Ruth Krauss was born in 1901 is also the author of A Hole Is To Dig; I'll Be You and You Be Me; Charlotte and the White Horse; and many other childrens classics.

Simple, yet profound

This is one of my 2 year old son's favorite books. He "reads" it over and over (he has every word memorized.) It's so simple, and yet the message is so profound. It's a message that many children don't get from other sources- one of faith and perserverance. At first, I was not impressed with the brown and yellow illustrations, but my son seems to prefer them over other more colorfully illustrated books. The simple pictures mirror the simple message of the book.