Age range 8 to 14 The thrilling true story of an ancient plant, wonderfully reborn in the modern era through the hard work of two female scientists. Thousands of years ago, in a time of rebellion, the Jewish people fought against their Roman rulers. The brutal Emperor Titus ordered the destruction of everything precious to the Jews: towns, villages, even their beloved Judean date palm trees. Centuries passed. The Jewish people were scattered, and the Judean date palm faded into extinction. Then, in 1963, a team of archaeologists uncovered two-thousand-year-old date palm seeds at the ruined fortress of Masada. For another forty years the seeds waited-until 2004, when Israeli scientist Dr. Sarah Sallon had a big, courageous idea. What if those ancient seeds could bring the Judean date palm back to life? Dr. Sallon recruited her friend Dr. Elaine Solowey, and their amazing experiment began... Intertwining world history, the scientific process, and colourfully detailed artwork, The Miracle Seed follows the Judean date palm's journey from tragic extinction to incredible rebirth. Captivating and hopeful, this graphic novel is an unforgettable look at perseverance and survival in the face of impossible odds.
Martin Lemelman has illustrated over thirty children's books and is the author-illustrator of the graphic memoirs Two Cents Plain (Bloomsbury) and Mendel's Daughter: A Memoir (Free Press). He hopes that The Miracle Seed inspires his granddaughters and other young women to ask hard questions about the world and persevere in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Martin lives in Florida, where he is a certified Florida Master Gardener. Visit Martin's website at lemelmanart.com and follow him on Twitter @MartinLemelman.
"Restores hope in the idea that all things are possible; especially empowering for young women interested in STEM subjects." -- Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW) "Lemelman's richly detailed and vivid drawings, coupled with his streamlined text that moves from Roman destruction to Dr. Sallon and Solowey sampling dates harvested from a tree they named "Hannah," make for a rewarding read for children ages 8 to 14." -- Hadassah Magazine "A highly recommended book for children, parents and grandparents, who will be entertained and educated by this delightful story of renewal against all odds. It's a very different and refreshing look at Israeli ingenuity, science and connection to the indigenous flora of the homeland." -- The Jerusalem Post "Lemel-man skill-ful-ly weaves togeth-er the unlike-ly sto-ry of the efforts of two female sci-en-tists with the con-tri-bu-tions of arche-ol-o-gists. The result is an account that is so fas-ci-nat-ing that read-ers, adults and chil-dren alike, will be amazed at how much infor-ma-tion they have absorbed." -- Jewish Book Council "Not only children but their adult family members as well will enjoy reading this graphic novel which author Lemelman illustrates beautifully and imaginatively. He is to be congratulated for making learning such fun!" -- San Diego Jewish World "This story is simply told in easy and smooth narration, with artwork that is rich in color and pairs well with the text, adding layers of meaning." -- School Library Journal "Captivating...not only reads like an adventure but also exudes an optimism of the kind that children ages 8-14 deserve." -- The Wall Street Journal
