Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants not only helps me identify plants with indigenous, common and genus names but also captivates with its vivid illustrations and inspiring information.
Plantabolous! details 26 native plants and follows up from, Plantastic! A to Z of Australian Plants. It also includes a glossary and a map with a list of plant ecoregions.
A botanist with a passion for Australian native plants, Catherine Clowes has created a thoughtful book which exudes her enthusiasm. For each letter of the alphabet, a plant is listed with striking illustrations, an activity and facts. For example, did you know that the native palm called burrawang, is a plant from before the dinosaurs!
This name jumped at me because I’m originally from the Southern Highlands in NSW and there is a village there called Burrawang. Apparently these native palms used to grow there in abundance. And on my next trip to Queensland, I want to hunt out an ant plant, a plant with a symbiotic relationship with the ants that live inside it. The ants create chambers inside the plant, including a chambers for an ant loo (good for the plant) and an ant nursery.
Rachel Gyan has created scientifically accurate, inviting illustrations that give a sense of texture. The colours are bright, the font is attractive and white space has been used effectively. The artwork is executed in a delicate style, showcasing different views of each plant. Further, the endpapers after the final page are filled with plant diagrams labelled with plant parts, great for budding botanists. There are also teaching notes to help stimulate conversation with students.
The school I teach at is next door to the national park, in fact it’s a world heritage site. Kids are naturally curious about their surroundings and having this book in the classroom is going to answer some of their questions and ignite their inquisitiveness. For instance, the waratahs have just finished blooming and their crimson crown-like blooms have wilted away. Using an activity in Plantabulous!, it’s time to work out how far the waratah seeds can float. This will test how far the seeds can move from the parent plant.
Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants is a captivating book and would suit readers of Sami Bayly’s The Illustrated Encyclopaedia series, for example, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dangerous Animals. Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants also pairs nicely with Flora: Australia’s Most Curious Plants by Tania McCartney. How plantastic!
Title: Plantabulous! More A to Z of Australian Plants
Author: Catherine Clowes
Illustrator: Rachel Gyan
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, $29.99
Publication Date: 3 June 2024
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781486317202
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction
