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The Children's Bookshelf; What's Inside a Flower? - June 9, 2024

What’s Inside a Flower? And Other Questions about Science and Nature written and illustrated by the versatile Rachel Ignotofsky is a very interesting journey through the life of flowers whether they’re growing in cities, jungles, swamps, deserts or on mountain tops.

The gorgeous opening spread greets the reader with a beautiful hello as roses, buttercups, daffodils, thistle, orchids, tulips, black- eyed Susan, and Queen Anne’s Lace grace the pages with lovely shapes, vivid colors, and poetic flair.

The author-illustrator first puts forth how flowers start their journey underground as seeds surrounded by decomposers such as worms, mites, bugs, and bacteria. Children will find this underground part of the story full of fun. “Decomposers eat waste like garbage, dead things, and poop! By breaking down waste, decomposers make new soil.”

The illustration of the process of pollination is full of action as pollinators dip into each flower to get a drink of nectar and come away with pollen stuck to their body which they then take to the next flower. The pollinators such as hummingbirds, bumblebees, moths, and butterflies are shown in action. This illustration is a visual delight.

What’s Inside a Flower? And Other Questions About Science and Nature written and illustrated by the talented Rachel Ignotofsky is packed full of great information. There are also book lists and websites of interest in the back materials for children 4-8 years of age and up who become hooked on the science and the beauty of flowers. (Crown Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House (2021).

The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the podcast and the Activity Questions can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.

Activity Questions for What’s Inside a Flower?
Creative movement for younger readers: Select a safe space indoors or outdoors where you can move about like pollinators looking inside the flower for a drink of nectar. First put your body in the shape of a butterfly. Next, fly about, spot a flower, land on it and taste the sweet nectar. Now transform into the shape of a bumblebee and find another flower and take another drink of nectar. Finally, put your body into the shape of a hummingbird and move about. Remember these birds are very small and keep their wings in a constant flutter. Get the nectar and fly away very fast.

For older readers: Study the first spread after the title page. There are 12 different flowers on this double page spread. Count them all. Next, draw your own picture of six of the twelve flowers. Then, with the help of your parents go outside and see if you can find any of these flowers.

 

 

Sue Ann Martin is professor emerita of Communication and Dramatic Arts and the founding and past Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. She first became interested in children’s literature when she wrote her PhD thesis on the oral characteristics of the Caldecott Award-winning children’s books. Her PhD is in Speech and Interpretation with a cognate in Early Childhood Education. She went on to review children’s books for the Detroit Free Press, write three popular resource books for teachers regarding children’s books and the creative process. She also reviewed newly-published books for Arts Almanac specials on WCMU Public Radio. Her 2002 children’s books special for WCMU won a Merit Award in Special Interest Programming from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.