Fantastic Flowers

Appearances can be deceiving in the world of botany. In crisp acrylic paintings, Stockdale (Stripes of All Types) highlights 17 flowers that resemble a variety of objects or creatures, as described in a jaunty series of rhymes: “Prim ballerinas, wild baboons./ Snakes standing guard, and spiraling spoons.” Photographs at book’s end identify the flowers—such as the parrot flower, whose dangling blooms look like birds in flight, or the dusky greenish-gray black bat flower—as well as their scientific names, native habitats, and species that aid in their pollination. A closing overview of pollination and the way that flowers’ distinctive shapes help attract pollinators lends additional heft to this handsome study of “Fantastic flowers in all kinds of shapes.” Ages 2–6.[em] Agent: Gina Maccoby, Gina Maccoby Literary. (Mar.) [/em]