Bec Nanayakkara (text) and Sarah Capon (illustrator), Grow Big, Little Seed: A story about Rainbow Babies, Bright Light, April 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761212963
Grow Big, Little Seed is a heartwarming and sensitive story about the sadness of a pregnancy loss and finding the courage to try again. This beautifully written book, filled with Capon’s lovely and unique illustrations, is certainly deserving of its listing as a CBCA 2025 Picture Book Notable.
The story follows Nina whose Mum encourages her to grow a plant while they wait for an exciting event, which, the illustrations hint, is the birth of a baby sibling. Even though Nina carefully nurtures the plant, Its leaves turned brown and it grew no more. And the illustrations imply that the real sadness is in the loss of a much-anticipated baby. In the end, both Nina and her parents gather the courage to try again, resulting in some happy surprises.
Author, Nanayakkara, succinctly tells the story of growing a plant, with carefully chosen words arranged in repeated patterns of short phrases, that make it accessible for a young audience.
I was impressed with illustrator Capon’s unique style of layering paper cuts to form objects, people and backgrounds. I enjoyed the aesthetic of her vibrant domestic and garden scenes with distinct colourful paper cuts forming clearly recognisable objects. The shadowing from this technique also cleverly creates a 3D effect. Capon even portrays facial expressions using paper cuts. As a debut picture book, it is satisfying to see its inclusion on the New Illustrator’s short list.
The illustrations play an essential role in implying the story of the pregnancy loss, with the shape of Mum’s abdomen changing over time and baby objects initially seen around the home and then later packed away.
Using planting as a metaphor for the sensitive topic of pregnancy loss cleverly makes the book accessible for a wide age range of picture book readers. My 3 ½ year old granddaughter listened intently to the story and loved the illustrations but obviously understood only the superficial aspects of the story.
I recommend Grow Big, Little Seed for children aged 2–7, but it is especially valuable for families who have experienced pregnancy loss. It is also an important public library or school library resource to support little ones to process this difficult experience.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
