Book Review – Seed to Peanut

We can’t leave National Peanut Butter Lover’s month without talking about peanuts. After all, they are the main ingredient in the stuff!

Here’s a book all about peanuts – how they grow from a seed to become the peanut we all know an love – Seed to Peanut, by Oliver S. Owen.

Seed to Peanut is on the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s recommended reading list. It is recommended for ages 4 an up.

It starts with a great summary of the history of the peanut. Leading with the most important piece of information… The peanut is not a nut at all! It’s a legume, and is related to peas and beans.

The book has great information about all the different parts of the plant and how they work together. The roots take up water and nutrients from the soil.

The stem takes the water and nutrients from the roots up to the leaves. The leaves use energy from the sun to turn water and nutrients into the energy the plant needs to grow.

The flowers attract honeybees to make the new seeds (peanuts).

Did you know that once the new seeds are formed, the peanuts grow underground?

The book also talks about how peanuts are grown on large farms, and some of the different uses of peanuts and peanut oil. It even talks about how you can grow peanuts at home!

Although the book is recommended for ages 4 and up, it does get into some more challenging concepts like photosynthesis, and the male and female reproductive organs of the plant. It does have a glossary that helps to explain some of the vocabulary, but I think this book is a little complicated for young children.

Overall, two thumbs up! I learned a few things about how peanuts grow from this book, and I loved the photographs!

There are other books in the “Lifewatch” series by Oliver Owen about other plants, animals, and even insects!

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