FUNGI ARE...

Young readers learn about various types of fungi in Gabriel’s picture book.

Fungi are more than just the mushrooms on one’s pizza, as this book points out. They include thousands of different organisms, from single-celled yeasts that leaven bread to the mycelial network that spreads out under acres of land. This book looks at some fungi and explains what they do in a simple format, covering a wide range of concepts, such as how fungal spores disperse, how animals use fungi, and what fungi do for humans. Each entry has a basic topic sentence, an explanatory line or two, and an illustration; for instance, “Fungi are homes” shows an image of a child peering into a mushroom, with “Flies and gnats lay their eggs in mushrooms so their larvae are protected and surrounded by a handy food source” at the bottom. Sárkány’s simple, pastel illustrations are winsome and feature children with a range of skin tones. However, every scene is depicted in murky, earthy tones that makes them drab to look at. Although the text aims to edify, tricky terms such as enzymeand symbioticaren’t clearly defined. Also, essential scientific detail is omitted; fungi may be “more than mushrooms,” but what they are, exactly, and how they specifically differ from other plants or animals isn’t fully explained.

An intriguing but oversimplified primer.