Plants Can’t Sit Still, by Rebecca E. Hirsch

 

Topics – plants, adaptations, seeds

Summary – They “wiggle, squirm, and creep,” but Plants Can’t Sit Still. Rebecca Hirsch’s anthropomorphizing of plants here is both silly and instructive, as kids reading this book can feel their own similar wiggly, squirmy tendencies. Some of the plants she describes are truly remarkable – squirting cucumbers flinging their seeds out through a pressure-charged explosion and Venus flytraps desiccating withering flies. Mia Posada’s illustrations help us see these sometimes hidden movements in a colorful, clear way. Hirsch leaves out much of the details of the plants in the text of the story, instead diverting it to a “More about Plants” section at the end of the text. This lets the pages of the story be more narrative and less cluttered. She also lists several other great books and websites that provide more information (you should definitely watch the cucumber shooting its seeds – weird!) Hirsch has written several other science and nature books, all listed on her website, and all of which I look forward to checking out.

Suggested Ages – This book is great for young readers who can follow the story as well as the bright illustrations. The additional information at the end provides plenty for older grade school students to learn from as well.