Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Dandelions: Stars in the Grass
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Carolrhoda Books, 2000 ISBN: 978-1575053837
To many of us the humble dandelion plant is just a weed. But if we look closer at the flowers and learn the dandelion story, these ubiquitous plants of the garden, field, and roadside become more interesting.
Every spring dandelions bloom in green fields "like gold stars in the grass." Bees and butterflies are attracted to their golden heads until, one day in summer, the flower petals "fold up and float away."
Then a pod of white seeds breaks open, unfolds, and forms "a perfect circle, delicate and light." Winds tug at the seeds, carrying them off so that the tiny "umbrellas" float off into the sky.
Eventually the little seeds come down to earth and little roots grow from the seed into the soil. It isn't long before a new dandelion plant is growing up towards the sun.
In this excellent little picture book the author tells a very simple story about a common flower which most of us are familiar with. A text with picturesque language and a rhyming format is combined with delicate illustrations to make this a wonderful title for young flower lovers.
