The Carrot Seed
 First edition | |
| Author | Ruth Krauss |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Crockett Johnson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | 1945 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 65 |
The Carrot Seed is a 1945 children's book by Ruth Krauss. As of 2004, The Carrot Seed has been in print continuously since its first publication in 1945.
Description
The Carrot Seed was illustrated by Krauss's husband, Crockett Johnson.[1] At 101 words, it was one of the shortest picture book texts when it was published in 1945.[2]
Plot
The book opens with the words: "A little boy planted a carrot seed. His mother said, 'I'm afraid it won't come up." Despite the skepticism of his parents and, particularly, his older brother, he persists and "pulled up the weeds around it every day and sprinkled the ground with water." The book concludes simply "And then, one day, a carrot came up just as the little boy had known it would." The carrot is so large that it fills a wheelbarrow.