I have the most beautiful non-fiction picture book to share with you today.
Title: What’s Inside a Flower? And Other Questions About Science & Nature
Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Publishing: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021
Suitable for Ages: 4-9
Themes: Flowers, Science, Nature;
Opening Lines:
Flowers live everywhere. They bloom in bustling cities, lush jungles, soggy swamps, blistering deserts, and high up on rocky mountaintops.
Summary:
You’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about flowers. In this gorgeous text we find out where flowers grow (hint: just about everywhere), the great variety of colours, shapes and sizes they come in, how they grow, what they need to survive, decomposers and pollinators, and how seeds travel. The pictures are colourful and very detailed, the language is kid-friendly, and all the various flower parts are carefully drawn and labelled. There’s even a succinct explanation of photosynthesis — this book has it all.
What’s Inside a Flower? will appeal to children of all ages and, I’ve no doubt, many adults, too!
My Thoughts:
This book really appeals to my visual senses. I can’t get enough of the gorgeous colour scheme (teals, greens and various shades of orange and red) and the quirky illustrations. It’s fun to look closely at all the little bugs and bees and various creatures. It’s the kind of book you want to look at again and again just so you can appreciate all the detail.
The author is extremely thorough, delightful and descriptive in her explanations of all things flowers. I love her use of labels and numbering; it makes everything so clear. A fun touch is the occasional talking creature. They say things like “Yum,” and at other times share important flower knowledge.
This is really one of the best plant books for children I’ve seen in a very long time.
Classroom Connections:
1. DK Find Out has lots of great information on flowers and flower-related topics.
2. Be sure to visit Kids Gardening. They have activities like Fun With Fungi and Wildflower Seed Paper!
3. A Seed is Sleepy would be a great companion book.
4. Meri Cherry has a messy but oh so beautiful flower art project.
5. I have a Paint a Flower Poem activity that’s fairly easy to do.
6. The author has a worksheet packet and a colouring page that goes along with her book. Be sure to grab it!
7. Here’s a flower word search I made geared for 6-8 year olds.
Thank you so much for reading. Enjoy the flowers!
