Title: Bad Seed
Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Age Group: 3-6
Synopsis: The main character embraces what everyone says about him, that he’s a bad seed but eventually decides he might want to change.
The Lowdown:
It constantly astounds me how potent the power of labels are. I can still vividly recall off-hand remarks that have shaped who I am today. Comments praising how organized I was or creative or imaginative have had a positive impact. But then there’s also negative comments that took me a while to shake. And most of these weren’t meant maliciously but I think as humans we like to categorize things, even ourselves . And once an idea or person is placed in their corresponding “box” it makes it more difficult to to move them somewhere else. So with Bug I’ve been making a huge emphasis on the importance of decisions. There are people who are prone to make unfriendly decisions and people prone to make friendly decisions but within each of us is the power for both. Because once we remove the decisions part of the commentary we’re essentially labeling that person as mean or bad when truly we all have bad days. The Bad Seed shows how strong and important these labels are through a clever play on words and a meaningful plot.
When we’re first introduced to the Bad Seed he’s got a look on his face the most elementary school teachers know to fear. Malicious, mischievous, devious, all spring to mind. Then he tells us he knows this because all of the other seeds tell him so. And he can prove that he’s bad too! He goes on to list all the things he’s done that qualify him for this title. We later learn that the Bad Seed used to live in the country and be friendly. However, after his family was eaten at a baseball game and he survived, his life felt empty and he made some bad decisions. Things snowballed from there. But the Bad Seed is ready to turn his life around. He begins making good decisions, though it’s hard to remember. And slowly he changes his label and how the other seeds view him.
While John does an incredible job with the text Oswald brings it all to life through the illustrations. The Bad Seed has quite a few close ups throughout the book, focusing in on his self-perspective. While the reactions of the other seeds, nuts, and legumes slowly change as well, over the coarse of the story. The illustrations themselves are done with a rough sort of style, leaving the reader wondering if Oswald used crayon. That’s not to say that they’re not well done but it lends an air of growth to the entire book that is well used. Additionally, in a style true to the dry humor John’s books almost all have, Oswald works in details that will leave parents smiling. Such as the sunflower seed packet that the Bad Seed finds himself in or the Coke can that he lives in for awhile.
Though the illustrations lighten the mood of the book, the message is still resoundingly clear but more easily accessible in a format such as this. And in presenting it in this manner John and Oswald allow for more readers to grasp the overall meaning without being turned off by something so many of us instinctively do. It’s an easy habit to fall into, labeling. And I won’t say I don’t do but the more I encourage Bug to see people as making choices in their actions and not based on who they are, the more I find myself not dismissing someone based on one unfortunate occurrence. We all deserve a chance to decide which labels, if any we want for ourselves. .
Story Tips:
- Discuss with your little one if the Bad Seed is really bad. What do they think he can do to change? Work on actual examples before making it to that section of the book.
I need more!
Check out my review for Goodnight Already for more information on Jory John.
Pete Oswald is an animator, and move production designer as well as being an illustrator. His other books include: Mingo the Flamingo and the Did You Know? series. His website is now entirely up to date but very informative, so if your looking for new work by him I’d use Google or Amazon. However, for more info about him particularly: http://peteoswald.tumblr.com
