This picture book introduces young readers to seeds and how they grow, with an overarching theme relating their purpose to God’s will.

God’s Amazing Creation: The Story of Seeds opens with references to the Bible story about God creating the world in six days, focusing on the creation of plants on the third day. It describes the vast variety of seeds, with drawings of cocklebur and peach seeds as examples. It also describes qualities of seeds – for example, that although seeds can dry out, they are still alive – and explains that some are formed to float on wind or water and travel great distances. Additionally, it describes seeds’ sensitivity to the right levels of temperature and water to sprout, describing how these lessons are taught to each seed by God.

The narrative is complemented by Bible and Psalm quotes and ends with a step-by-step guide for growing plants, including making your own compost.

It’s written in a conversational, joyous tone, celebrating the breadth and nuance of God’s love and wisdom as conveyed through the complexity of plant life. Parts of the book are presented in a call-and-response style familiar to Christian readers whose church leaders use this approach for sermons, which could convey a familiar, reassuring feeling.

However, the book has several faults. For example, the text is often dense, and the illustrations are bright but appear to be colored with crayons and markers and seem unpolished. There are occasional technical errors (e.g., “would make it’s own special kind). Finally, the text mentions the diversity of seeds and plants, but the sprouting explanations and directions are written as if the same basic approach works for all species, which is inaccurate.

Overall, this upbeat, Christian-oriented guide to plants and how they grow will appeal to those who appreciate the message and don’t mind the book’s lack of professional polish.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.