An Invitation to the Botanic Gardens

By Author / Illustrator

Charlotte Guillain, Helen Shoesmith

Genre

Non Fiction

Age range(s)

Publisher

Welbeck Children's Books

ISBN

9781803381060

Format

Hardback

Published

06-06-2024

Synopsis

Grab your very own VIP access pass and explore the incredible Botanic Gardens..... Have you ever wondered what goes on at the Botanic Gardens? It's not all planting and pruning. In fact, the team have a planet-saving mission on their hands - and you can help. Step off the path and follow the Garden crew who will show you behind the scenes of the Botanic Gardens with your very own access-all-areas invitation.

Find out how scientists research plants that can cure diseases, watch workers wading in the waterlily pond, and discover the secrets of seeds. Find out why samples of rare and endangered plants are stored in the Herbarium and leave no leaf unturned in the tropical glasshouse. Discover insect-eating plants, zombie fungus, plants pretending to be pebbles, and more.

As you turn the pages you'll learn about the importance of insects, the impact of climate change and how plants grow. With beautiful, lush illustrations, you'll discover more wonderful details each time you return to the gardens. Three large gatefolds open up to reveal even more information.

Reviews

Natalie J

Guillain and Shoesmith take us on a tour around the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in this attractive, informative guide. Beginning at the turnstiles at the garden's entrance and ending at the gift shop exit. they guide us through many areas, including those open to the public and some behind the scenes. Along the way, they explain botanical terms like germination, look at staff roles including botanical artists, explore different processes involved in the running of the site like how the Compost Centre makes mulch, and focus on specific plants such as the zombie fungus in the Fungarium.

Through detailed and colourful illustrations, straightforward explanations, and descriptive narratives about the workings of the site, this is a lovely, engaging book which introduces not just the practical world of botany and horticulture but also a plethora of jobs and areas of study including garden designers, botanical scientists, Mycologists, or horticultural teachers.

The eye-catching design is enhanced by a clever feature of fold out pages. On turning the page, you see a spread of the Temperate House’s facade which you can unfold further to become a four-page spread of inside the building. There are several of these pages throughout the book which are an inspired interactive touch although I wish they were slightly cut way from the book's gutter as these pages will get dog-eared quite easily. I was surprised that the book was missing certain things like a map, glossary, and even address of the site, but it is a wonderfully revealing and striking read.

48 pages / Reviewed by Natalie J McChrystal Plimmer, librarian