STEM Tuesday– Plants– Book List

Rooted to the ground, plants have to find nutrition, fend off predators, and survive whatever conditions the environment throws at them. From water lily leaves that could serve as rafts to a flower that smells like a rotting corpse, meet the plants that thrive by using brilliant and bizarre adaptations.

Beware the killer plants – the leaves that sting, the jaws that trap. This book, not for the faint-of-heart, is the perfect read for kids who want to know about the bird-catching plant, vampire vines, and corpse flowers.

For older readers, Hirsch has an engaging, conversational, almost conspiratorial, text invites the reader on an exploration of the “science, history, and true crime coverage” of fourteen poisonous plants, seeds, and fungus found around the world. Gorgeous taxonomic illustrations, photos, and “Deadly Details” sidebars help highlight some innocent and more sinister encounters with these plants.

Plants gather energy from the sun and turn it into leaves, flowers, fruit. Animals, who can’t produce their own food, eat the plants. But what happens when you turn the food chain upside down? When the plants are the hunters and animals the hunted? In this book you’ll meet sticky traps, trigger traps, and pits of death. There’s also a handy survival manual for carnivorous plants.

Plants don’t have brains, but they can sure fool animals – even humans! They have ways to defend themselves from harsh weather, being stepped on, and from being eaten. Some plants fake leaf damage and one plant plays dead to discourage predators. And some plants turn the tables and hunt insects.

Plants can’t move when conditions get tough, like little to no water, extreme cold, or high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Yet, some of the largest, oldest plants (some 3,000 to 5,000 years old) thrive in these harsh conditions with unique structures and ingenious lures for both pollinators and prey (using sticky, snap, and suction traps). Great photos and graphics, “Fun Fact” sidebars, and a STEAM Challenge to create a model of a “new plant species” help explore these extraordinary plants.

Explore forty-nine of the world’s most incredible plants, from prehistoric species (which have existed for around 300 million years) to giants (both in height and width), from spectacular leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots to some  truly unusual plants. The fascinating illustrations also depict the flora, fauna, and environments interacting with these amazing plants and provide a wonderful, global indexed map.  

What good is a dead plant? Examining dried specimens, farmers can learn about weeds and ecologists can study plant diversity and see how plant populations have changed in the past 200-plus years. Readers will learn how plants are collected and preserved, and be inspired by a kid who discovered a new species in his backyard.

From trees to rice, tea to spice, plants are central to our day-to-day lives. In graphic novel-style, this book explains how plants, from corn to potatoes, shaped human history. First, a grounding in plant essentials: photosynthesis, food web, and a fun graphic table of contents. Chapters focus on wood and wheat, tea and tulips, potatoes, peppers, cotton, corn, and rice.

An introduction to the Plant kingdom, how plants grow, leaves, and seeds. One section dives into ferns, conifers, and other nonflowering plants. A longer section highlights flowering plants, pollinators, fruits, and grasses. Filled with photos and sidebars that explain concepts such as photosynthesis.

This book begins by comparing your body to that of a plant. Where we have skeletons, plants have stems, trunks, branches. Where we have toes, plants have roots. One chapter focuses on leaves, others on flowers, pollinators, fruits, and seeds. Activities range from making fruit shakes and salad to leaf prints, seed sprouting, and finding fibers.

Sue Heavenrich is an award-winning author, blogger, and bug-watcher. A long line of ants marching across the kitchen counter inspired her first article for kids. When not writing, she’s either in the garden or tromping through the woods. Her books for middle-grade readers include Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More and Diet for a Changing Climate. Visit her at www.sueheavenrich.com

Maria Marshall is a children’s author, blogger, and poet who is passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. She was a round 2 judge for the 2018 & 2017 Cybils Awards, and a judge for the #50PreciousWords competition since its inception. Two of her poems are published in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty 2016 and 2014-2015 anthologies. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at www.mariacmarshall.com.