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Literature for casual botany study


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My daughter wants to do a casual botany study this summer. I've come across plenty of study materials, but I'm also looking for some fiction or literary nonfiction to read along with the more technical books.

 

I want this to be fun, but also useful to help her along when it's time to do "real" biology later on. She is not a science lover at all and is dreading biology. Oh, she is a rising 8th grader but reading high-school level books, which is why I put this here instead of on the K-8 board.

 

Books about gardens, gardeners, botanists, botanical artists... fiction or nonfiction... just looking for some things to enhance her study. Oh, movies too!

 

Thanks!

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You might look at Naming Nature. It's not specifically botany, but the author realizes that she doesn't know the names of the nature around here, so works to learn a new one every day.

 

Wow--another good idea! One of my scientist friends keeps encouraging me to read this book. She thinks it is quite thought provoking.

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Kind of a weird option, but Leo Lionni (you probably know his kids' books) created a book called Parallel Botany. It's a full-length, illustrated book, complete with scientific descriptions and history, of plants that don't exist. It's entirely fictional and difficult to describe, but it is astonishingly beautiful.

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Oh, this is fantastic! I think we can really have some fun with this and she'll learn a lot. Including the book of nonexistent plants is great! She loves to draw and write, so that should pique her interest as well. Everything so far has been available in our public library, which is nice for checking before buying.

 

Thanks for the ideas! And feel free to keep them coming. ;)

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Children's fiction:

The Secret Garden

Tom's Midnight Garden

 

Adult fiction:

Letters from Yellowstone (fiction--female botanist visiting the park in 19th century)

The Forgotten Garden (Kate Morton-kind of a gothic, turn of the century mystery with a labyrinth and hidden garden sort of at the center)

 

 

Onward and Upward in the Garden

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (very visual)

Flora Mirabilis (great book, beautiful with tons of old, gorgeous botanical illustrations, a bit more technical (how plants have influenced the world) but broken into short sections, blurbs, and graphic organizers.)

 

Looks interesting/on my reading list:

 

What a Plant Knows (how plants experience the world)

Brother Gardeners (history of modern gardening)

The Plant Hunters (botanical exploration)

Ann Ripley garden cozy mysteries

The Lost Garden (WWII, land girls)

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Wow, an embarrassment of riches! This is wonderful. Just some notes -

 

We love Edwin Way Teale around here. We've got his "seasons" books and will definitely be using some of his writing.

 

I'd forgotten about Jim Arnosky; he's wonderful too. I had forgotten about David Attenborough.

 

I just picked up The Brother Gardeners for myself, so I'll say I'm previewing it for her. ;) She has read some Agatha Christie so the cozy mystery series could be fun for her.

 

Her closest friend is moving away this week so it will be good to load her up with some fun reading. (My daughter is one of those lonely homeschool girls who just can't seem to find the right friends.)

 

So many great ideas here! We could be doing this through the entire next school year!

 

Thank you!

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