My desk faces a window looking out at an undeveloped section of parkland. In the winter I can see through the motley browns and golds to a path that winds along\u00a0an\u00a0embankment. In the summer, greenery fills in the empty spaces\u00a0obscuring\u00a0my\u00a0surveillance\u00a0of the trail\u00a0but providing\u00a0a lush backdrop for my office. \u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m\u00a0grateful for the view, but\u00a0it used to be that I wasn\u2019t really a\u00a0plant person. Grass was what you walked on and tree branches were what you pushed out of the way when you were hiking. Sitting at my desk one day, I gave myself a challenge. Pick something\u00a0ho-hum\u00a0and write about it in\u00a0a way that kids would find\u00a0exciting. It was a nod back to my teaching roots\u2014year after year we were given a curriculum and, no matter the topic, it was up to us to make it engaging\u00a0for our students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That day,\u00a0staring out my window, I picked\u00a0the topic plants, those everyday bushes, trees, and\u00a0various\u00a0undergrowth\u00a0examples\u00a0that I\u00a0found pretty but knew very little about. My attitude was\u00a0lackadaisical\u00a0when it came to\u00a0kingdom Plantae\u00a0\u2026 But wait. Kids are our next Earth stewards, right?\u00a0They\u2019re the ones who will be responsible for managing the greenery. Shouldn\u2019t they know more about what it is they\u2019ll be tasked to take care of?\u00a0Shouldn\u2019t I?\u00a0I began to\u00a0\u2018dig\u2019\u00a0into\u00a0some research. It didn\u2019t take long for me to realize that plants\u00a0employ\u00a0remarkable\u00a0strategies\u00a0to survive and thrive, and that they\u00a0use mind-boggling adaptations that allow them to flourish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are\u00a0some books about plants by\u00a0like-minded authors\u00a0who came to that same conclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plants Can\u2019t Sit Still\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Rebecca E. Hirsch<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Mia Posada<\/a>, illustrator\u00a0(Millbrook Press)<\/p>\n This younger picture book not only shares information about seed dispersal,\u00a0but\u00a0it\u00a0also discusses how plants move\u00a0in other ways. For example,\u00a0with\u00a0the Venus fly trap, leaves snap together\u00a0to capture prey, or with the sunflower, the flower head realigns itself to face the sun.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Humungous Fungus<\/em><\/p>\n By Lynne Boddy and Wenjia Tang, illustrator (DK Children\u2019s)<\/p>\n Short, accessible text covers topics such as\u00a0ancient\u00a0plant life and how fungi helped the evolution of the plant kingdom,\u00a0along with\u00a0its\u00a0medical\u00a0benefits,\u00a0how it sometimes leads to\u00a0crop disease,\u00a0and plenty of\u00a0fun\u00a0and wacky\u00a0examples.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Flowers are Calling<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Rita Gray<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kenard Pak<\/a>, illustrator\u00a0(Clarion Books)<\/p>\n This lyrical picture book shows what creatures are not pollinators and which ones are. It\u2019s a fun and engaging journey of how flowers attract insects and birds to help them transfer pollen\u2014and why.<\/p>\n\n What\u2019s Inside a Flower?<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n By Rachel\u00a0Ignotofsky\u00a0(Crown Books for Young Readers)<\/p>\n Stylized illustrations\u00a0and minimal but informative text\u00a0break down facts about flowers and\u00a0share\u00a0the parts of a flower, pollination techniques, various creatures who interact with\u00a0these plants, types of seeds\u00a0and\u00a0fruits, and other features.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n The Secret World of Plants: Tales of More Than 100 Remarkable Flowers, Trees, and Seeds\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n By Ben Hoare (DK Children\u2019s)<\/p>\n Even the\u00a0title alludes to the mystery and wonder of plants!\u00a0After an overview of the basic parts of a plant, specific plant examples go more in depth.\u00a0A\u00a0thorough\u00a0discussion\u00a0of assessable information, this\u00a0book also includes fun tidbits\u00a0about\u00a0seed banks, algae blooms, historical references to plants, and other\u00a0amazing\u00a0facts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Kathy Willis<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Katie Scott<\/a>, illustrator\u00a0(Candlewick\/ Big Picture Press)<\/p>\n Organized by gallery, this\u00a0book\u00a0museum of plants covers a history of\u00a0ancient\u00a0plants, categories of plants, and how plants adapt to their environment.\u00a0Like many exhibits, it includes an\u00a0in-depth\u00a0explanation of the topic, and\u00a0then\u00a0further details for each\u00a0illustrated\u00a0plant\u00a0or plant part.<\/p>\n\n The Magic and Mystery of Trees<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Claire McElfatrick<\/a>,\u00a0Jen Green<\/a>,\u00a0and the\u00a0Royal Horticultural Society\u00a0<\/a>(DK Children\u2019s)<\/p>\n What a tree is exactly. The seasons of a tree. Adaptations and features of trees. What creatures make their home in a tree. Diverse trees around the globe. This book\u00a0investigates\u00a0various aspects of these pillars of the plant kingdom.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Mushroom Rain<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Laura K. Zimmermann<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Jamie Green<\/a>, illustrator\u00a0(Sleeping Bear Press)<\/p>\n One of many books focusing on\u00a0fungi, this one\u00a0definitely\u00a0stands out.\u00a0With sparse, lyrical text, here is the story of\u00a0mushrooms, including how their spores help to create rain, a win-win situation\u00a0for the mushroom\u00a0itself along with the\u00a0environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate<\/em><\/p>\n By\u00a0Sara Levine<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Masha D\u2019yans<\/a>, illustrator\u00a0(Millbrook Press)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another chance to share pollination tactics, this time narrated by a cantankerous cactus. Humor makes\u00a0this a fun and engaging read while\u00a0learning about\u00a0how\u00a0color, smell, and shape\u00a0help\u00a0flowers\u00a0entice pollinators.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Fantastic Flora: The World\u2019s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants<\/em><\/p>\n By Ann McCallum Staats and\u00a0Zo\u00eb Ingram, illustrator(Candlewick\/ MIT Kids Press)<\/p>\n Showcasing twelve\u00a0stunning\u2014and sometimes bizarre\u2014examples,\u00a0this\u00a0vividly illustrated\u00a0book taps into the \u2018wow factor\u2019 of\u00a0plant life. From seeds that explode to the rotten meat stench of certain species, readers investigate surprising\u00a0adaptations\u00a0and captivating\u00a0strategies for survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ann McCallum Staats is\u00a0a former educator and current\u00a0author of numerous children\u2019s books. Her latest is\u00a0Fantastic Flora: The World\u2019s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants. Other books include\u00a0the\u00a0Eat Your Homework\u00a0series, which garnered two Junior Library Guild Selections and a Bank Street College of Education\u2019s Best Children\u2019s Book of the Year;\u00a0The Secret Life of Math; and\u00a0High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts. She has a master\u2019s degree in education and lives in Virginia with her family.\u00a0Visit her on social media @annmsbooks.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My desk faces a window looking out at an undeveloped section of parkland. In the winter I can see through the motley browns and golds to a path that winds along\u00a0an\u00a0embankment. In the summer, greenery fills in the empty spaces\u00a0obscuring\u00a0my\u00a0surveillance\u00a0of the trail\u00a0but providing\u00a0a lush backdrop for my office. \u00a0 I\u2019m\u00a0grateful for the view, but\u00a0it used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}