t h e P a r a b l e s The Sower and the Seeds by Mary Berendes illustrated by Robert Squier  t h e p a r a b l e s The Sower and the Seeds Matthew 13:1-23 Retold by MARy beReNdeS • IlluStRAted by RobeRt SquIeR Distributed by The Child’s World® 1980 Lookout Drive • Mankato, MN 56003-1705 800-599-READ • www.childsworld.com ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Child’s World®: Mary Berendes, Publishing Director The Design Lab: Art Direction and Design Red Line Editorial: Contributing Editor Natalie Mortensen: Contributing Editor COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2012 by The Peterson Publishing Company. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Berendes, Mary. The sower and the seeds / by Mary Berendes; illustrated by Robert Squier. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-60954-394-5 (library reinforced: alk. paper) 1. Sower (Parable)—Juvenile literature.I. Squier, Robert.II. Title. BT378.S7B47 2011 226.8'09505—dc22 2011004959 Printed in theUnited States of America in Mankato, Minnesota. July 2011 PA02087 t h e p a r a b l e s m o r a l The parables of the Bible are simple, easy-to-remember stories that Jesus told. Even though the stories are simple, they have deeper meanings. O ne day while Jesus was sitting by the sea, a great crowd gathered around him. He told them this story: ∑ There was once a sower who went out into his field to plant his crops. As the sower sprinkled the seeds, he did not pay attention. The seeds were going everywhere! 6 7 Some of the seeds fell onto the road. Hungry birds flew down and ate all these seeds right away. 8