Development of a multicellular organism involves coordinated cell division, growth and specialization to generate different cell types that contribute to organized tissues, distinct organs and a higher order body plan. This coordinated process requires tight regulation of gene expression, which is mediated by multiple transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational and post-translational control mechanisms. As I discuss here, recent studies on ribosomal protein genes and ribosome assembly genes indicate that the basic translational machinery of the cell, the ribosome, has a regulatory role in plant development. A comparison between plants and animals reveals both divergent trends in the genome content of ribosomal proteins and intriguing potential overlaps in the role of the ribosome in development.