Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-5-Have you ever stopped to think about why some plants, such as cattails and elkhorns, are named after animals? Young nature enthusiasts will find answers in this charmingly illustrated title. The author presents information on 21 different plants named for their resemblance to various birds and mammals. Each is given a spread featuring watercolor illustrations of the plant as well as the animal it is named after. In each spread, the left page features an alliterative riddle encouraging children to guess the name of the plant, while the right page identifies the plant's common and Latin names and includes a succinct paragraph discussing the plant's structure and how it got its name. Adults recommending this selection should note that some entries discuss plants' edibility and medicinal uses, with some generalization ("Native Americans stuffed the fluff [from cattails] into pillows...and put it on cuts to help stop bleeding."). While some readers may lament the lack of photographs, the images achieve the goal of making each plant identifiable. However, the absence of an index and bibliography makes this volume more appropriate for leisure reading than for research. The nostalgic quality of the illustrations and the riddle on each page also make this an option for read-alouds. VERDICT A fine purchase for collections serving nature-loving communities, especially those with gardens and parks nearby.-Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gallery of flora named after fauna.In these introductions to 20 North American wildflowers and grasses with fancied resemblances to animal features, "fancied" is definitely the operative term. Schmid stacks the deck, visually, with impressionistic watercolor images created to emphasize supposed resemblances between each alphabetically arranged plant/animal pair, plus an added line drawing of an isolated leaf, flower, or seed head. Even so, the similarities aren't always easy to see. The text offers vague claims that "Native Americans" used cattails, goat's beard, and other plants for medicinal purposes or, as in the case of "some Navajo people," to "protect against witches." Moreover, Hedegaard devotes much of each botanical note to labored comparisons: "Mule-Ears / Wyethia amplexicaulis / This plant is all ears, but it can't hear a word." Also, some of the choices, such as elkhorn, can refer to multiple different plants, and for coltsfoot and deer's foot, readers will have to take the creators' word for it as the hoof prints for which they are named are never actually depicted. Wilts next to similar flower guides, such as Susan Stockdale's vivid Fantastic Flowers (2017). (websites, range notes) (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
