All young children are interested in the natural world and this book offers a fascinating and beautiful insight into the world of plants and their importance to us and our ecosystem. Fluffy, Flying Seed starts with a small dandelion seed being carried by the wind and landing safely in a meadow, the perfect place to grow. This is its story, how it grows, protects itself, reproduces and transforms from a bright yellow flower into a delicate white ball of fluffy, flying seeds. There are facts about germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal, parts of a plant and food chains. The narrative progresses in a way that builds understanding and the gorgeous illustrations bring the story and the science to life. Fluffy, Flying Seed is part of the Start Small, Think Big, a series of books that sets young readers on a journey of discovery, beginning with small miracles of life and connecting them to the big picture of our natural world. The stories are easy to read and told in a warm, engaging, relatable way. At the end, there is a surprise fold-out with a world map, an illustrated lifecycle and an animal I-Spy game to take readers back into the book. Perfect to share with children 4 to 8, with two levels of text for new and more confident readers. Build your own life cycle library with this brilliant addition to any home or school bookshelf. Also available: Small, Speckled Egg about the Arctic tern, a record-breaking super-bird; Little Brown, Nut which tells the story of the Brazil nut; Tiny Floating Coral about our delicate coral reefs which are under the most urgent threat from climate change. Books in the series: 9781916780071 Fluffy, Flying Seed 9781739774882 Little, Brown Nut 9781739774875 Small, Speckled Egg 9781916780033 Tiny, Floating Coral 9781916780101 Small, Sparkling Raindrop AGES: 4 to 8 AUTHOR: Mary Auld is an award-winning writer of children's information books, most notably How To Build an Orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra. Mary Auld is a pen name for Rachel Cooke, former Editorial Director at Hachette and an honorary fellow of the English Association in recognition of her work in children's non-fiction. Dawn Cooper is a talented British illustrator with a passion for nature. Her recent books include Thirty Trillion Cells (Welbeck), Insect Emporium and Ocean Emporium (Egmont) and Up Close (Wren & Rook). She lives in Bristol, England. SELLING POINTS: . Clear narrative text about the life story of a dandelion plant from a seed carried by the wind to parent plant, an important food source in early spring. . Primary science: the lifecycle and structure of a plant; germination; photosynthesis and other life processes; seed dispersal; seasons etc . Textured, die-cut cover with fold-out map and I-Spy Game . Beautiful illustrations: a blend of non-fiction realism and picture-book beauty . A new non-fiction series carefully written for emergent readers 4 to 8. . Free activity sheets and classroom resources online