This companion volume to Fauna: Australian’s Most Curious Animals is a treasure trove of information stunningly illustrated in precise detail and glorious colour.
Australia is well known for having unique plant life, about 90%, 24,000 species, of our flora is found nowhere else. The book makes a careful selection of the most familiar as well as some unusual and exciting unfamiliar species out of these. Reference is made to First Nations knowledge and treatment of the land throughout the text. The aim is to show ‘how plants grow, how they are used by humans and other animals, and how strange, life-giving yet deadly they can be.’
Each plant is given a conservation status of a plant ranging from EX = extinct to LC = least concern. The content starts with landscapes, shows in detail plant parts and then has spreads on different types, e.g. eucalypts, trees, grasses etc. This is the heart of the book. The final third is given over to wild flowers, bush food, floral emblems, the future and our backyard.
The text has a friendly almost colloquial tone, but is always precise and succinct. This combines well with the many illustrations. Each spread is crammed with information but careful design means the reader is never overwhelmed. The glossary and index are useful reference points.
This is a gorgeous book for children learning about their native plants sure to stimulate a love of and desire to learn more about our botanical heritage.
This companion volume to Fauna: Australian’s Most Curious Animals is a treasure trove of information stunningly illustrated in precise detail and glorious colour.
