PLANT SECRETS

Seeds, plants, flowers, fruit. Did you know all of these have secrets? Shown a selection of seeds, readers are told, “But all of these seeds have a secret.” A turn of the page and the secret is revealed: “Hidden inside each seed is a tiny new plant.” The next sections similarly cover plants, then flowers and fruit. Although a variety of plant materials are shown, the focus throughout narrows to pea, tomato, oak and rose. Employing a repetitive secret-sharing theme, this very simple introduction to botany combines brief, succinct text with attractive, detailed gouache illustrations. By not specifically identifying which plant, seed or flower is which among the four profiled varieties, readers are given the opportunity to make their own educated guesses. After the last delicious secret is revealed—that seeds are hidden inside each fruit—a more detailed afterword provides additional information about the four types of plants that were covered. Brief enough to appeal even to toddlers, this excellent effort also includes sufficient information to entertain and instruct young grade-schoolers. (Informational picture book. 3-10)