The Carrot Seed

Sometimes you just have to value your kid's opinion over your own...          

THREE PROS
*Crockett Johnson's illustrations are unique in their mustard-toned background and also happen to be fun to look at
*The message itself (naysayers aren't always right) is a good one
*The book is over sixty years old and still finds its way onto librarians' best children's books lists

THREE CONS 
*OMG could this text be any more boring   
*If you went just a level deeper on the book's message, you might see that the boy is blatantly disregarding the advice of his family while also possibly promoting the reinvention of the wheel
*I'm pretty sure that vegetables don't erupt out of the ground in a day's time -- this story might lead children to believe that they do

ONE DAD'S OPINION
Ruth Krauss' work has all the appeal of a carrot in a salad you find sitting on the top of a trash can at a particularly filthy rest stop.  I hated it.  But for whatever reason, my son asked me to read it to him again rather then delve into one of the other seven books sitting right beside it on the table.  So I can't fully Destroy it.  Thus, we end up with a Donate rating, which I guess is fitting since a book this old seems like something you would find in a donation bin at your local charitable retail store.       

Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy


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