Reviews
There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.
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