QUEEN ANNE'S LACE

Like Wexler's Jack-in-the-Pulpit (1993), a lucid look at a familiar plant with intriguing characteristics and adaptations. Named for the 18th-century British queen, this sturdy survivor is widespread in the northern hemisphere. Detailing its biennial cycle, the author compares the member of the Apiaceae family to its close relative the carrot, naming and describing its parts and their functions (the movement of the dead seedheads is especially interesting). Clear, informative color photos (some magnified) appear on each handsome spread. An excellent introduction to the rewards of botany as exemplified by learning about a particularly lovely species. (Nonfiction. 7-12)