Fluffy, Flying Seed (Start Small, Think Big)

I can vividly remember decades ago, when I was about 8 years old, setting off on exciting bike rides with my younger, very fair-haired brother. Our first stop would be the end of our road where a patch of grass, usually covered in dandelions, was always slightly overgrown. We would pick these flowers when they were dandelion clocks and eagerly blow on them whilst shouting out the time to each other! I can remember the messy milk-like juice on our hands too!

This beautifully produced book in the successful ‘Start Small. Think Big’ series captures the wonder and curiosity of young children perfectly. It traces the life cycle of a dandelion and covers topics such as germination and photosynthesis. It is helpful that there are two levels of text throughout the hardback: the easier narrative is printed in bold at the top of each page with the more advanced text below. The book is full of interesting snippets of information such as, ‘The dandelion’s leaf shape gives it its name – it comes from ‘dent-de-lion’, French for lion’s tooth’ [p.6]. There are useful details such as the pappus being like a parachute to transport the seed away to be planted somewhere else [p.15].

The gorgeous illustrations work well with the text, and the diagram of the dandelion [p.7] as it starts to flower is very clear. One of the highlights of the book is the huge, fold-out map at the end of the volume. It shows a large world map with areas indicated where the dandelion grows. In addition, there are some difficult scientific terms explained for the older reader. Words such as ‘apomixis’ and ‘taraxacologists’ are new to me, and I am sure will delight the inquisitive youngster.

Hats off to the team who created this attractive hardback which includes a die-cut, textured cover and even a perfect I-Spy game! I am already on the lookout for other titles in this original series and recommend it for all school/local libraries as well as the home.