How Plants and Tree Work: A Hands-on Guide to the Natural World, by Christiane Dorion, illustrated by Beverley Young - ESSENTIAL

Dorion, Christiane.  How Plants and Tree Work: A Hands-on Guide to the Natural World, illustrated by Beverley Young.  Templar Books (Candlewick), 2017.  $19.99.  Content: G.  NON-FICTION.

Each two-spread asks a question, gives a paragraph introduction, and then has numerous smaller illustrations with interested facts and tidbits.  No two pages are set up the same.  There are pop-ups, lift the flaps, tabs that turn, tabs you can pull, and little books within the book.  It is the most tactilely enjoyable book, I’ve ever read. 

Some of the information included is: why do plants have flowers?  There are 400,000 different types of plants on earth.  How do plants grow from tiny seeds?  Including the oldest seed.  What do plants feed on?  Including the flypaper traps bugs on the leaves.  How do plants defend themselves?  Like prickly holly leaves.  Where do plants live: from the tundra to deciduous forests.  Why trees are so important?  And which tree is the oldest and which one is the largest.  What are the worlds weirdest plants?  The monkey faced orchid looks like a baboon’s face.  What plants end up on your plate: flowers, stems, roots, leaves, fruits, and seeds. How do we use plants: clothes, books, furniture, and medicines.

The information presented in the book is as interesting as the book’s unique format.  This hands-on book will be definitely find little (and big) hands that will want to read it. 

EL-ESENTIAL.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.