“Early one spring morning, a little seed woke up after her long
winter sleep. She yawned and stretched. With a loud CRACK her
hard brown jacket fell away. 'Oh!' said the surprised seed. The
earth above felt warm.” ... this was just the beginning of big
changes to come. The colorful illustrations in this book are
made by the author from dyed wool fibers, felted together to
create a solid piece of “fabric.” She employed a technique known
as “dry,” or “needle,” felting, which requires a small hand tool
called a felting needle with barbs along the shaft to catch the
fibers as it pierces the surface of the wool and binds them
together. Jan describes the experience as “painting with a
needle.” Hardcover, 28 beautifully illustrated pages, 8x10
inches, ages 3-5. Jan Schubert has been a Waldorf early
childhood educator for more than twenty years. In a one-room-
school house on sixty acres in northern California, she founded
and operated a preschool program. She holds a BA in ECE and has
taught kindergarten at the Davis