Plantwise

Susan Brown is a B.C. horticulturist, permaculture designer, and early
childhood education instructor.

Plantwise is a beginner’s botany book that to the page-flipping child
will appear primarily as an activity book. Two- to four-page sections
discuss basic plant physiology, structure, and adaptations. Trees have
several separate sections. “Some Plants Up Close” looks at the small
parts of ferns and mosses and some specialized plants. “Plants in
Danger” and “Endangered Spaces” empower young people to act on
their concerns.

The text introducing each section is well organized and brief. This is
immediately followed by a related activity describing an idea to be
investigated and a list of supplies needed, with clear step-by-step
instructions. The plentiful, friendly pen-and-ink drawings are
important. They clarify activities and accurately depict plant forms and
processes. Orientation is primarily toward five- to eleven-year-old
readers.

Accuracy and attitude are concerns for me with this book. Errors—such
as mistakenly identifying tubers as roots and quizzes that are only
partly correct—are tolerable since the difficult task of describing
basic plant processes simply is well done. Referring to First Nations
cultures in the past tense, however, and the use of unintentionally
delegitimizing references cannot teach positively. The preponderance of
people-centred rationales for the maintenance of biodiversity also
concerns me.

However, I’ve learned from reading Plantwise, too, and I’m grateful
for this new book, which complements Birdwise and Budwise. Proceeds from
the sale of the book go toward the Environmental Education Program of
the Federation of Ontario Naturalists.