JUST IN CASE: SAVING SEEDS IN THE SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT
By: Megan Clendenan
Illustrated by: Brittany Cicchese
Published: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Non-Fiction
Today is the 18th Anniversary of the Svalbard Seed Vault’s official opening. On a remote Norwegian island 800 miles from the North Pole, there is a facility that houses millions of precious seeds.
Photo: Michael Major for Crop Trust – source
It’s amazing to think that in some of the coldest parts of the world, more than 580 million seeds are being protected and stored. The seeds are stored here away from dangers like natural disasters and war. This isn’t the only seed bank in the world, either. There are 1,700 seed banks all over the world, but the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores duplicates of every seed housed in other banks around the world. Just like the various creatures on our planet need to be cared for and protected, so do the seeds. We need to make sure the various seeds that turn into flowers, plants, vegetables, and trees also don’t become extinct.
Building a steel building in the middle of an Arctic mountain was no easy task. It took a team of engineers, architects, and scientists to create the design, deliver the materials to the frozen, remote location, and blast into the mountain to make room for the building, all while polar bears watched.
There are numerous safety measures in place to keep the seeds safe in the vault, including detectors, multiple locked doors, temperature gauges, cameras, and guards. Countless people from all over the world work together to collect, save, and send their seeds to the vault. In 2011, seeds were pulled from a vault in Syria during the war. In 2015, over 38,000 seeds were withdrawn and planted in Lebanon and Morocco to bring life to a war-ravaged area. I am intrigued by the facts of this story and think kids will be, too.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeously captivating. Page spreads of a sunset behind the Arctic mountains, a group of people around a table planning the design, workers blasting a mountain, a view of the Northern Lights, and families packing up packets of seeds all help tell this important story.
An extensive author’s note is included at the end of the book, including a hope that readers will plant, harvest, and replant seeds in their own yards and gardens. Resources for kids, as well as a bibliography, are included. As a side note, I read this children’s book along with the fictional book, WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy, which also includes a seed vault on an island near Australia. It was an unexpected coincidence. This is an important story to share with your children and to partner with a lesson on growing seeds in your garden.
Megan Clendenan studied sociology, English, and environmental planning and has worked for nonprofit organizations focused on environmental law, women’s empowerment, mental health, and urban food security. As a children’s book author, she loves writing nonfiction that explores the connections between history, society, and the environment. She is the author of Design Like Nature: Biomimicry for a Healthy Planet, Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment, and Cities: How Humans Live Together. She lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two fuzzy orange cats. This is her first picture book. To learn more, visit meganclendenan.com.
Brittany Cicchese enjoys capturing emotion above all else, from expressive portraits to moody illustrations. She is the illustrator of The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale and No More Señora Mimí. When Brittany isn’t sketching or writing, you can find her working at the library, reading a good fantasy or sci-fi book, or hiking around the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Brittany lives in Denver, Colorado. Check out her website, www.brittanycicchese.com
Also illustrated by Brittany Cicchese:
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