#324 of 1001 · June 20, 2021

Here is a look at If You Hold a Seed by @elly.mackay, a gentle and charmingly written ode to the cyclic rhythms of nature and human experience. A boy plants a seed in the ground and watches it as the days, weeks, months, and years roll along. As the tree emerges and grows little by little, the boy progresses through the stages of his life, becoming a teenager and finally a father with a young son of his own. MacKay draws characters and other elements of her scenes on sturdy plastic paper, cuts them out, and arranges them in three dimensions in a paper theater along with props made from found objects and materials. She then lights and photographs them, creating stunningly realistic tableaux laced with a quiet air of fantastical wonder. #seed #tree #grow #seasons #nature #life #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks