Synergy: Exploring Botany

BOTANY is the study of plant science. This branch of biology includes not only plants, but also fungi and algae.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:

KNOWLEDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA: PLANTS AND FUNGI from DK is a highly illustrated reference book for children interested in plant science. From flowers and trees to carnivorous plants, readers will be spellbound by the wealth of fascinating facts, useful infographics, diagrams, and photographs. ARC courtesy of DK.

LANGUAGE OF PLANTS written by Helena Harastova and illustrated Darya Beklemesheva explores the science of plants. Each chapter examines a different aspect of plant communication. Whether exploring the Wood Wide Web or clever pollination, readers will enjoy the variety of presentation formats including text, detailed diagrams, and more. ARC courtesy of Albatros Media, an imprint of Ingram Publisher Services.

STAND AS TALL AS TREES written by Patricia Gualinga and Laura Resau and illustrated by Vanessa Jaramillo shares how activists and community members in the Amazon worked together to protect their native lands. This inspirational, true story shares the importance of environmental conservation and plant preservation. This title is available in both English and Spanish. ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge Publishing.

ROOTING FOR PLANTS: THE UNSTOPPABLE CHARLES S. PARKER, BLACK BOTANIST AND COLLECTOR written by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III tells the story of a botanist and mycologist who discovered new species of plants and fungi and the source of fruit tree diseases. As a botanist and educator, he inspired a generation of new Black scientists. ARC courtesy of Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Publishing House.

HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR PLANT written by Magda Gargulakova and Lena Chytilova and illustrated by Hannah Abba assists young readers in learning the process of acquiring and caring for houseplants. Of particular note is the section exploring individual plants children are likely to encounter. Chapters feature the basics of care, an encyclopedia of houseplants, and cultivation practice. Visuals, step-by-step instructions, and lots of useful advice make this a practical guide for young plant lovers. ARC courtesy of Albatros Media.

Timely Take-aways for Life-long Learners: Trees and Forests

Whether exploring the impact of climate change or the restoration of forests, several new books examine individual trees, tree ecology, and forests of the world.

The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth
Ben Rawlence, Feb 2022, St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees

Combining storytelling with science, Rawlence takes readers on a quest to learn about the impact of climate change on the trees of the boreal forest.

Take-aways: Use the locations described in the book to engage students in a discussion about the shifting treelines around the world. 

Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet
John W. Reid & Thomas E. Lovejoy, Mar 2022, W.W. Norton & Company
Themes: Nature, Forests, Trees

An economist and a biologist explore the five remaining megaforests of the world and discuss what it will take to save them.

Take-aways: Of particular note is the connection between the forests and the inhabitants in each region. Involve students in an in-depth exploration of one of these forests.

A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature
Fred Pearce, Apr 2022, Greystone Books
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees

Pearce weaves interviews with indigenous people into an exploration of forests of the world, their destruction, and their recovery.

Take-aways: Pearce’s investigation provides a wide range of ideas for forest recovery that address the many forces driving change. Involve youth in discussing these forces.

Now is the Time for Trees:Making an Impact by Planting the Earth’s Most Valuable Resource
Arbor Day Foundation, Apr 2022, Timber Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees

Filled with photographs, this book celebrates trees and the global movement to plant them.  While highlighting large-scale tree conservation programs, it also provides guidance for individuals inspired to plant trees themselves.

Take-aways: Use the examples in this book to inspire young people to become tree advocates. Ask them to select the conservation program they think will have a lasting impact.

White Pine: The Natural and Human History of a Foundational American Tree
John Pastor, Jan 2023, Island Press
Themes: Science, Natural History, Trees

From the 17th century through today, John Pastor traces the history of the white pine tree with an emphasis on restoring white pine forests and looming issue of climate change.

Take-aways: Using the white pine as an example, ask youth to trace the past, present, and future of another tree.

The Hidden Company that Trees Keep: Life from Treetops to Root Tips
James B. Nardi, Feb 2023, Princeton University Press
Themes: Nature, Science, Natural History, Trees

Featuring detailed drawings, Nardi describes the many forms of life that thrive in and around a tree. Nardi’s unique approach to the tree community is chuck-full of fascinating facts.

Take-aways: Use this book to inspire youth to focus on the life in a specific local tree.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb

Synergy: Conifers

Conifers are plants that bear cones such as pine trees. Spruce, cypress, and redwood trees are other examples. While most are evergreen, some lose their needles and their color may vary from yellow and gold to blue and red along with standard green.

Read the recently published nonfiction picture book for children, then learn more at the websites:

LISTEN TO THE LANGUAGE OF THE TREES by Tera Kelley shares the story of how forests communicate underground. The story uses a Douglas-fir seedling to describe the interrelationship of the plants and animals in the forest. Of particularly note is the focus on the growth underground. The book concludes with useful science information and ideas.

OH CHRISTMAS TREE from the USGS describes the science of conifer trees through interesting text and photographs.

Go to https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/oh-christmas-tree-science-conifer-trees

THE GYMNOSPERM DATABASE is a website focusing on conifers and their allies. The tree in the story is the Douglas-fir. This website provides useful scientific information including photographs.

Go to https://www.conifers.org/

For the Douglas-fir found in the book, go to https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pseudotsuga_menziesii_menziesii.php

ARC courtesy of Dawn Publications, an imprint of Sourcebooks eXplore.

Synergy: Botany

Botany is the branch of biology that explores the science of plant life including fungi and algae. This multidisciplinary area includes structure, growth, reproduction, taxonomy and more.

Read the recently published nonfiction book for children, then learn more at the websites:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTS, FUNGI, AND LICHENS FOR YOUR READERS by Tereza Nemcova and Tomas Pernicky is part of the Encyclopedias for Young Readers series. Each two-page spread focuses on a different category of plant, fungi, or lichen. The simple illustrations and short text descriptions introduce the concept and several examples found around the world. Of particular note are the fungi and lichen often overlooked in science books for children.

USDA’s PLANTS database contains information about vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens from the U.S. and its territories.

PLANTS Database

https://plants.usda.gov/ 

The US Forest Service provides useful resources on fungi and natives plants found in the United States.

Lichens from the U.S. Forest Service

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/lichens/

The Mighty Fungi from the U.S. Forest Service

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/fungi.shtml

Native Plants from the US Forest Service

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/index.shtml

ARC courtesy of Albatros Media.

Digital Spotlight: The Science Collection

THE SCIENCE COLLECTION from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries is a set of digital collections focusing on specific areas of science such as botany, anatomy, and ecology.

Contents: Intended as a resource for the teaching of scientific disciplines the collections include subject-specific resources. Of particular note is the botany collection and veterinary anatomical illustrations.

Classroom Connections: Teachers will find these science resources useful in developing class presentations and as examples in instructional materials. Librarians may wish to partner with teachers to mine the sites for particular collections of interest.

Featured Digital Objects:
Maple Leaf http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/…/Grou…/reference/32.8r.jpg
Mitosis https://goo.gl/EGHJTP
Animal Anatomy https://goo.gl/EW2r4D

To visit the collection, go to https://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/science/.

Book Review: Forest of Wonder

FOREST OF WONDER by Linda Sue Park is the first book in the charming new Wing & Claw fantasy adventure series for middle grades.

Rafa is a young apothecary apprentice who accidentally creates a potion that transforms animals. His discovery sets him on a dangerous journey that involves a magical forest, a forbidding city, and secret experiments that threaten his animal and human friends alike. This first book establishes the key characters and the intertwining themes of botany, magic, family, friendship, and nature.

Fans of Linda Sue Park will once again be delighted by her elegant prose, rich characters, and enchanting world. Librarians will find the environmental themes and fairytale feel to be popular among middle grade readers. Fans of animal stories will enjoy the bat, owl, raccoons, bear, and growing menagerie of creature characters. Plan to make space on the shelves for this enchanting new series.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.lindasuepark.com/.

Published by HarperCollins on March 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.