Books with title The Sunflower

With the aid of a mysterious crystal ball, a wicked queen named Evilla creates and then drinks an immortality potion. The potion turns her bottom half into that of a black widow spider with an actual hourglass on her back. For the next five hundred years, Evilla must turn the hourglass every night after midnight—but before sunrise—or risk certain death. Her nemesis is a powerful wizard who hopes to foil all her destructive plans and preparations. In order to stop him, the queen again seeks guidance from her ominous crystal ball. If not hindered, the spider queen will become owner of the chrysoprase: a yearned-for staff bestowed with the ability to cast powerful spells from an ancient book of black magic. If the queen achieves her goal, the entire kingdom will be at her mercy. The wizard has no choice but to seek out a foretold young girl, Susan, who may be able to put a stop to Evilla’s sinister plan. Although Susan is special, she’s only thirteen! What can she do to stop a queen with magic powers? Susan must look inside herself to find out.

Brigg lives in a small, grey room in a large, grey city. When he finds a book in the library labelled 'Do Not Read', he cannot resist taking it home. In it, he comes upon pictures of bright, vibrant objects called flowers. He cannot find flowers anywhere in the city, but stumbles instead on a packet of seeds. This sets off a chain of events which bring about unexpected results, continuing to grow and bloom even after we have turned the last page. John Light's enigmatic story is told with utter simplicity, but resonates long after we finish reading this book. His increasingly optimistic vision is hauntingly captured by Lisa Evans's beautiful and whimsical illustrations.

This book follows the life cycle of a sunflower plant as seen through the eyes of one of the seeds. It incorporates the seasons, life cycles, rural farm life, nature, and the close bonds of family. It is set on a farm and introduces vocabulary to children such as mulch, compost, heirloom seeds, as well as different types of birds, butterflies, and insects.