by Mary Kay Carson
Illustrated by John D. Dawson
5 stars
Wow! A fantastic read for learning about plants and fungi.
This is such a great resource. It covers a lot of ground. The book opens with basics about plants and plant spotting. It includes sections on trees and shrubs, wildflowers (including grasses and sedges), ferns and mosses, and gilled mushrooms and other fungi. Each section covers basics about each group such as parts, reproduction, and classification, what to look for when identifying, and an identification guide with common members.
The full-color art is beautiful and nicely depicts what is covered in the text. There is also a glossary of scientific terms within each section. After each chapter, there are Try It, Track It, and Take It to the Next Level activities that help readers learn by doing. Often these require simple tools such as a pencil, paper, a ruler, and a magnifying glass and can easily be done on hikes, in parks, or around the neighborhood. I love that readers are given a chance to practice what they just learned in the real world.
The physical book has a nice design. It has metal corners for a little extra durability during travel. There are also rulers along the back edges to use while plant spotting. Includes an index in the back for easy reference.
This is such a fantastic book. I read it cover to cover, but it could easily be broken down to accompany different units. There is so much information packed into this and it is all presented beautifully. What a great resource. It’s the first I’ve read in the Outdoor School series, but I will definitely be looking into more of them.