Seeds: Nature’s Intrepid Miracles

‘Seeds’ is one of those books which encourages readers to pause and reflect upon the beauties of nature, allowing time to notice and appreciate these often tiny objects. Highlighting their incredible diversity, it focuses on nearly 150 seeds from across the world.

The illustrations are simply stunning, each one a work of art. Arranged in sections which reflect how they are dispersed, each seed is given a page of its own which offers information beneath the illustration. The binomial classification for each plant is given in the top corner of each page and a ‘multiplied by’ is given to indicate the seeds original size.

Some of the language is a little ‘flowery’ (no pun intended!), but this adds to the book’s charm, using some quirky and poetic vocabulary! The book concludes with information about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and some record breaking details. Both a detailed index and a section called ‘Some Shortcuts’ make it easy to locate specific seeds, but this is a book to be browsed and enjoyed at leisure!

Seeds: Nature’s Intrepid Miracles

Cruschiform

Prestel ISBN: 978-3791375960

The Water Flower: The Journey of a Lotus Seed

Describing the development of a lotus from its seed through flowering to releasing new seeds, ‘The Water Flower’ beautifully describes the life cycle of this remarkable plant.

Step by step, the development of the lotus is carefully explained with delicate, annotated illustrations supporting understanding at each stage. The main narrative text tells the flower’s story whilst smaller print sections add detail, using and explaining the technical terms for plant’s parts and functions.

The life cycle of flowering plants and identifying and explaining the function of their parts forms part of the science curriculum at KS2 and this book offers a wonderful opportunity of enriching children’s experience by exploring a plant which might not be familiar to them. It offers the opportunity to consider how these plants have adapted to their environment and to compare them to others, broadening their understanding and applying their knowledge. For the curious child, it would make the perfect starting point for further investigation and discovery, perhaps of the flower’s symbolism and importance in some cultures.

Subtle, muted colours enhance the delicate nature of these blooms, captured in these beautiful illustrations, making the book a real pleasure to linger over and offering much to learn and much to enjoy.

The Water Flower

Yingting Chen, illustrated by Huaqing

Post Wave ISBN: 978-1836270188

Fluffy, Flying Seed

Starting with a tiny dandelion seed floating on the wind, ‘Fluffy, Flying Seed’ shows the lifecycle of a plant, both through the seed’s own narrative and facts.

The latest in the ‘Start Small, Think Big’ series, the book is perfectly pitched to encourage curiosity in the natural world and help young readers discover more about the world around them. A fold out map at the end of the book shows the regions across the world where dandelions grow and includes a meadow i-spy for children to enjoy.

Text at two levels allows children to independently read the narrative and be supported, if need be, with the factual content, making the book perfect for both home and school. Covering various topics from the science curriculum, the explanations are clear and concise, using the correct technical terms. It is an engaging and enjoyable read, full of delightful illustrations- a lovely addition to any bookshelf!

Fluffy, Flying Seed

Mary Auld, illustrated by Dawn Cooper

Mama Makes Books ISBN: 978-1916780071

You can read my reviews of ‘Small, Speckled Egg’ and ‘Little, Brown Nut’ here.

NNFN2024: From Plant to Plate

Offering a mixture of recipes and information, ‘From Plant to Plate’ is perfect for inspiring a new hobby this NNFN2024! Bright colourful pages offer an appealing mixture of photographs and illustrations, adding visual appeal to interesting content.

Through its three sections, a cast of cheeky cartoon characters, the ‘Bug Squad’, act as guides, helping readers to engage with the text and adding plenty of additional advice and facts along the way. ‘Power Up’, the first section, is packed with information clearly explained information about digestion with labelled diagrams to support understanding. Guidance about nutritional values of different foods and eating to support the body’s needs is then given, supporting readers in making considered choices.

The next section, ‘Plant’, features information about planting, covering everything from composting to biodiversity and including specific guidance on growing certain plants like cherry tomatoes and butternut squash, linking these ingredients to recipes which are included in the final portion of the book. Lots of tips are offered throughout and each planting recommendation is accompanied by clear, step-by-step, illustrated instructions, making it easy for anyone to get started.

‘Plate’ is the final section which provides a selection of tasty and tempting treats, including the ingredients grown and harvested using advice previously given. The authors make suggestions for ingredient swaps which readers might like to try, giving their reasons, all of which encourages young cooks to consider the ingredients which they are using and make informed choices. Each recipe is given a difficulty rating and many offer ideas for using alternative ingredients.

Perfect for inspiring an interest in growing and cooking, environmental and personal health, ‘From Plant to Plate’ is an excellent book whether for inclusion in a library or for families to share and enjoy together.

From Plant to Plate

Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips

DK ISBN: 978-0241633335

NNFN2023: A Jungle in Your Living Room

‘A Jungle in Your Living Room’ is a beautifully illustrated, highly engaging book, sure to inspire everyone to transform their homes into lush, verdant space. Divided into three sections- All About Houseplants, The World of Houseplants and Houseplant Care -it offers excellent advice and guidance for anyone who wishes to create, and care for, their own indoor garden.

The first section starts by defining what is meant by a house plant and looks at how plants are classified before considering the best places to grow them. There is also plenty of fascinating background and historical information, including the creation of the ‘Wardian Case’, a portable greenhouse which allowed plants to be safely transported and the role this then played as ‘houseplant hunters’ travelled around the world to collect specimens, often causing damage to the local environment.

The section entitled ‘The World of Houseplants’ is the longest one, introducing a wonderful range of plants. Not only are explanations of the different types given, but care tips, historical facts, links to religions and traditional usages are also explored. These pages are interspersed with DIY ideas such as a desert garden, a macrame plant hanger and how to grow a bonsai tree. Perfect for engaging and challenging young and old alike, there are some really interesting and rewarding ideas, supported by clear instructions.

‘Houseplant Care’ is, as the title suggests, a very useful section concerned with making sure the plants are kept in top condition. Advice on what to look for when choosing a plant, pet safety and identifying problems is all given in clear, concise points, ensuring success. Propagation is also carefully explained with DIY projects on water propagation and making leaf cuttings. A guide is given to support readers in selecting plants appropriate to their level of experience and expertise and a comprehensive glossary explains many of the terms used in the book. Clear contents and index pages make the book easy to navigate and locate specific information- but this is a wonderful book for dipping in and out of and browsing to discover something new!

Although a very practical guide, there is much here which supports sections of the primary science curriculum and does much to enrich and enliven it. Colourful, playful illustrations add much to the book’s charm, making this a must have for home and school.

A Jungle in Your Living Room: A Guide to Creating Your Own Houseplant Collection

Michael Holland, illustrated by Philip Giordano

Flying Eye ISBN: 978-1838748630

Flying Eye produce many gorgeous information books. You can read my review of ‘Bonkers About Beetles’ here, which has links to reviews of ‘Passionate About Penguins’, ‘Fanatical About Frogs’, ‘Crazy About Cats’ and ‘Obsessive About Octopuses’. You can read my review of ‘Curious Creatures Talking Together’ here which has a link to ‘Curious Creatures Working With Tools’, ‘Please Don’t Bite Me’ here, ‘Scientists in the World: Galapagos’ here and ‘Earth’s Incredible Places: Amazon River’ here which has links to reviews of other books in the series.