Books that Help Children Really See Plants
If, like me, you live the city life, you might have grown up not really knowing plants beyond dandelions to be banished from the lawn or showy plants like lilacs in spring. Many children today, especially now that multiple screens have taken over our lives, are sort of "plant-blind" -- that is to say, they see plants as an amorphous species of green things with stems and leaves. If you were to ask a child to draw a plant, they'd likely offer a stem with one or two leaves and a disc-and-ray flower (no offense, Asteraceae family!)
The plant world is full of endless variation; if we can teach children to really "see" plants, they can become as proficient at appreciating and identifying these differences as they are at doing the same for Shopkins, Tsum-tsums or Magic: The Gathering collecting cards.
The best way to awaken children to plants is to go for a walk in the backyard, around the block or in the woods. You don't have to be a botanist to show them different shapes of leaves or flowers, or to help them gently rub the leaves of rosemary or a scented geranium to experience the fragrance. But, with the school year just beginning, I'd like to share with you a selection of children's books that portray plants as they truly are in nature -- not just as simplistic, nameless green space filler.
I am a Bunny by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry
I grew up with Richard Scarry's iconic "Busy Town"-style books, so I was surprised and delighted to find his older work, illustrated in a way that also showcases his attention to detail, but in a different way.
I am a Bunny was first published by Western Publishing Company/Golden in 1963. Perfect for preschoolers, it follows Nicholas the bunny through the seasons. It treats the reader not only to realistic depictions of plant species, but also butterflies, frogs and other animals. Scarry's illustrations are bright, cinematic, and equally whimsical as they are realistic.
Hide-and-Seek Duck, story and pictures by Cyndy Szekeres
Here's another preschool Golden book, this time from 1985. Your child must help Duck look for his friend Little Bunny among Szekeres' watercolor toadflax, wild rose, polypores, brambles, ferns, and more. The book takes the reader from the forest floor up through and inside trees. These plants would be easy to find on any woods walk in the West.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon, by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
Paterson's adaptation of St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun prayer is exquisitely brought to life by Pamela Dalton's intricate papercuttings. Here is an opportunity to build a relationship of gratitude between your child and the forces of nature -- the Sun, Moon, Earth and the plants it grows, and the remaining three elements, Air, Water and Fire. St. Francis' famous prayer is an ecological one, and Paterson's reimagining of it is perfect for children and adults of all faiths. Dalton's vibrant, often mostly symmetrical papercuttings, beautifully painted and set on a black background, are an invitation to look closely at the gentle action between the characters as well as the incredible detail given to the plants which dominate each page. This book was published by Handprint Books, San Francisco, in 2011.
Miss Rumphius, story and pictures by Barbara Cooney
I am grateful for this book, which introduced me to the giant, enchanting oeuvre of Barbara Cooney Porter, who died in 2000. The story follows Miss Rumphius from childhood to old age, who, after an exciting life of travel, makes the world a more beautiful place with what some might liken to today's concept of "guerilla gardening"! First published in 1982 by Viking Penguin, Inc.
Jack's Garden, written and illustrated by Henry Cole
Using the "house that Jack built" pattern, this book is a wonderful look at how plants evolve not only from seeds and rain, but also from hard work and patience. Jack's Garden's repetitive, cumulative text reinforces the idea of how plants come to be, while the colored-pencil drawings educate with illustrations of different kinds of seeds, gardening tools, insects, and birds' eggs. Of all the books mentioned in this post, this one does the best job at helping children see the differences between various species of plants, which are presented in botanical realism, several to a page, encouraging the eye to compare and contrast between leaf and flower shapes. This could be a lovely companion book to a family planning a garden with their children for spring; consider purchasing seeds of many of the easy-to-grow species featured in the book (just about all of these are common wild meadow plants), then use the book to help identify seedlings, buds and flowers as the year goes along. Jack's Garden even contains a simple "To Start Your Own Garden" guide at the back. Published by Harper's Children/Mulberry Books in 1995.
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
Like Jack's Garden, Sunflower House follows the growth of plants from seed. In this case, however, it is a single species -- Helianthus annuum "Mammoth," better known as the mammoth sunflower. What makes Sunflower House unique is that it shows the full plant life cycle, including decline and death. After a summer of magic with his friends inside a ring of towering sunflowers, the boy who planted them watches them nod and shrivel. There are few sights sadder than a prostrate sunflower way past its prime, but this book teaches the joy of sunflowers in full bloom as well as the hope after their death in equal measure. Published by Voyager Books/Harcourt, 1996.
Mossy written and illustrated by Jan Brett
This book is a visual feast, and that includes the endpapers, which are covered with Brett's meticulously rendered moss and lichen, in itself a statement and lesson about the diversity of the two species (and helpful in teaching the differences between them).
Set in what appears to be Edwardian times, Mossy is the story of a turtle whose carapace grows a miniature garden that changes with the seasons. Before long, she is noticed by a museum director and her niece, Tory, who pluck the turtle from her pond and display her in the museum. Before long, Tory realizes that a pond is a better home for a turtle than a lush glass enclosure, and her empathy redirects the plot.
Brett's exquisite illustrations (which look to be rendered in ink, colored pencil and water color) are set off by ornate, old-fashioned frames. The main action happens inside large and small vignettes, lushly illustrated and astonishing in detail. Around these vignettes, each page spread features collections of different animals and objects from the natural world: butterflies, orchids, shells, mushrooms, beetles, feathers, fossils, stones, and more -- picking up on the museum species classification and display theme while also providing nearly endless learning opportunities for a curious mind. Mossy teaches children not only to "see" plants, but to observe with a discerning eye the fascinating offerings of our planet. With her naturalist's eye, Brett has produced a work perfect for any child, but especially for the budding taxonomists among them. Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin in 2012, this is the sort of book I wish I had when I was young, but I look forward to sharing this with my daughter, various field guides close by.