Be My Sunflower

A warm and reassuring picture book about finding your courage even when you'd rather play it safe.
The children are planting sunflowers at school and Carla gets given a seed called Vernon. All the other children's seeds are excited to get out of the packet and start growing. Not Vernon. He knows about slugs, and birds, and thunderstorms. The world is scary.

Carla waters him lovingly, but Vernon is the only seed that doesn't grow into a seedling. "Safe and snug, snug and safe," mutters Vernon, until he realizes how upset Carla is. Vernon understands that he needs to pluck up his courage, push himself out of the ground, and face the world. He needs to do it for Carla. And as Vernon blossoms into a sunflower, he discovers that although the world is not perfect, it can be ... wonderful.

A wonderful story about empathy. Armadillo Magazine
A lovely story about finding the courage to emerge from your comfort zone and take on the world. Its warmth and reassurance shine through like the sun. Red Reading Hub
This is such a lovely and fun story. The story has a lovely ending and a great message for children about overcoming fears of new experiences, and it’s a book I’m sure will be enjoyed again and again. There’s something so fun about the pictures and the story showing both the human perspective and then the seeds. A lovely book I do recommend. The Strawberry Post

Kathryn Simmonds is a writer of fiction and poetry. Her poetry collection Sunday at the Skin Launderette won the UK's Forward Prize for Best First Collection, was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Prize and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. Her short stories have been published in magazines and broadcast on BBC Radio, and her first novel is called Love and Fallout. Kathryn is a graduate of the Creative Writing MA at The University of East Anglia, and Be My Sunflower is her first picture book.

Rosalind Beardshaw has illustrated many books, including My Pet Star which won the Sainsbury's Children's Picture Book Award and the Sheffield Baby Book Award. She has also illustrated Not That Pet! for Walker Books, as well as the award-winning Lulu series and the National Trust's A Walk in the Countryside series. Find her on Instagram as @rosalindbeardshaw and on Twitter as @RosBeardshaw.

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