Today's read made me smile. Yesterday, I saw a Facebook from someone in our small town, reminding everyone that morel mushrooms should be peeking through the ground soon. That's a huge thing in this area, and some years are better than others. Now, these aren't my favorites. I find them a bit rubbery and hate all of the grit, which gets stuck in those tons of crevices. (If you don't know what these are, you can head over to the conservation website to find out here). These mushrooms are a luxury (at least, telling by the market price), but I prefer the chanterelles, which come a little later in the year.
In other words, this book is right down our alley. At least, I hope it will be. Let's take a peek and find out.
FUNGI ARE MORE THAN MUSHROOMS
by Alisha Gabriel
Illustrated by Vivien Sarkany
Tielmour Press
Picture Book Nonfiction
36 pages
ages 4 to 10
Learn about the hidden world of fungi in this beautifully earthy non-fiction picture book! From single-celled, microscopic yeasts to massive mushrooms, fungi are essential to life on our planet yet often overlooked. Discover how spores disperse, fungi grow, animals find food, bees heal themselves, and trees communicate, all thanks to this fascinating kingdom. With straightforward, lyrical explanations, readers will gain insight into how fungi impact our planet and the interconnectedness of nature.
MY TIDBITS
Fungi come in all shapes and sizes, and do much more than simply grow, and these pages explore many things they do.
Beginning with the various ways that fungi release spores, this book quickly dives into all sorts of fungi activity and purposes. Each page is headed with a theme (such as 'They burst,' or 'Fungi are homes'), which is followed by a lovely illustrations of the fungi in such a setting and a couple or few sentences diving in just a bit deeper as to what is happening. There are more known aspects as well as some lesser known ones. Some even slide more into heavier biology themes such as the enzymes to assist with decomposition and symbiotic relationships. Then, it turns toward yeast and other 'forgotten' fungi forms. All of this is summed up again quickly at the end of the book with little summaries and a small illustration as a reminder of the page.
The information works very well for a classroom setting, group theme, or homeschoolers. While this book is sold for audiences up the age of four, I'd shove it a little higher due to a few, more advanced concepts and some of the vocabulary. Mushroom fans on the younger side will enjoy it, however. It reads smoothly and holds an excited atmosphere the entire way through. Plus, the fungi does surprise with all that it can do. The illustrations accompany all of this and not only help create lovely scenes but support the information in a visual way to make it more understandable.
It's an enjoyable read to dive deeper into the world of mushrooms and takes on some different approach than many books for this age group. Listeners and readers will come away with a new perspective on the importance of fungi and see them in a different light.
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