Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

In Mariposa: A Tiny Seed's Big Transformation by Leigh Anne Fortner, we are reminded that growing up is always hard to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re a little girl, or boy, a bird, or even a seed. We’re all different and we all have a special purpose in life. Best of all, we were created the way we are for a reason and that’s why we’re all loved. It’s a difficult lesson for a tiny seed trying to grow in the desert. Everyone talks down to her and makes her think she’s insignificant and unloved. But she grows anyway and she takes pride in every new growth and each new contact she makes with the world around her. She is unique, special, and loved. She is Mariposa.

Leigh Anne Fortner’s picture book Mariposa is a clever story about growing up, facing challenges, equity, acceptance, and respecting each other’s uniqueness and differences. The plot follows Mariposa from the time she was a tiny seed before she even knows her name. As she plants herself in the dry earth and a tiny drop of dew helps her sprout, she grows in size and confidence, even though every new stage of her growth is challenged by other creatures who claim she’s insignificant. Told in simple language and with colorful illustrations, this story is engaging, entertaining, and educational. We all need to be like Mariposa, the tiny seed that did grow and did learn the power of love and acceptance. Loved it.