PLANTS UP CLOSE

In six separate sections representing different times of the year, Rahn presents closeup photos and descriptions of five different plants. (A sugar maple tree is seen twice, in early summer when we examine the leaves and winged fruits, and in winter when we learn what an examination of the stem can yield.) In most sections (on the tulip, butternut squash, sunflower, rose of sharon) the photos show the different parts of the flowers, and different male-female arrangements are represented. Though there is no particular continuity and no comparison back and forth among the different plants, the successive arrangements tend to become more complicated or are handled so that the later sections expand on the simple anatomy lessons given earlier. The black-and-white photos are splendidly clear and close, though far from showy, and the text is concise and careful and similarly devoid of interest-catching devices. For readers with a serious interest, it could be eye-opening.