Dandelions: Stars in the Grass

by Mia Posada

Have you ever wanted to float on the soft, downy tufts of a dandelion blowing in the wind? In Dandelions: Stars in the Grass, Mia Posada brings to life the beauty of the flower better known as a weed and a nuisance. This book invites readers to discover and watch the life cycles of dandelions with lush and softly colored illustrations and with a clear and simple text. The book ends with a brief description of the origin of the dandelion and a section that will get readers excited about studying and discovering interesting facts about the plant on their own. Make and eat your own dandelion salad with the easy-to-follow recipe that's included!

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Plants, Science, Nature, Summer, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Mia Posada grew up in Minneapolis, then studied art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lived until 2007 when she moved back to Minneapolis with her husband and children. Mia has written and illustrated five books: Dandelions: Stars in the Grass, Ladybugs: Red, Fiery and Bright, Robins: Songbirds of Spring, Guess What is Growing Inside This Egg, and Who Was Here?: Discovering Wild Animal Tracks. She also illustrated Dazzling Dragonflies by Linda Glaser.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture-book author and artist Mia Posada, whose ecologically-themed books include such titles as Summer Green to Autumn Gold: Uncovering Leaves' Hidden Colors to Robins: Songbirds of Spring , made her debut here, in this rhyming story about dandelions. The simple narrative explores the life cycle of this weed, from the growth of a flower and the dissemination of seeds, to the sprouting of a new plant. The book closes with an afterword giving more information about dandelions, from how to use them in food to the science behind their growth...

Pairing an engaging and informative narrative in rhyme with lovely illustrations - the depiction of the dandelion as a ball of delicate wisps was particularly beautiful! - Dandelions: Stars in the Grass makes an excellent introduction to this plant, for younger children. I don't know that I enjoyed it quite as much as some of its creator's later work, but it was still very appealing, and I appreciated the afterword, with its additional information. I also appreciated the inclusion of the idea, at the beginning of the book, that the dandelion has worth, even if it is often considered "only" a weed. Recommended to young children who love to blow on dandelions - I was one myself, as a girl - and to picture-book readers looking for a basic introduction to a very common plant.

[Oxalis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming little book about a plant that can really get under a gardener's skin. But poor dandelions can really get a bad rap, even though they're an important part of the ecosystem. They're especially appreciated if you're a tortoise keeper! (My only issue with dandelions being that they're mostly non-native in North America.) Nevertheless, this book takes a first step in teaching children that every organism in an ecosystem has value, making it a worthy addition for the ecologically minded parent. The poem part would make a great board book.

[Bre'Anna Parker Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book ‘Dandelions’ is a beautiful masterpiece. The book carefully explains the complex and intricate life cycle of a dandelion and makes it simple to understand for all ages. The beautiful illustrations captivate you and you are drawn in with a sense of nostalgia. Seeing that oh so familiar yellow plant and making wishes upon the white fluffy tufts, is a memory most human beings have experienced. I would not only read this book to my future students, but to my future children as well. Wonderful book!

[Tweller83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/16/23: My grandchild loves to blow dandelions into the wind so I knew she would love this book and she did. Her mama read this to her (and me) and she really liked seeing the white dandelions and the butterfly and bee (she is learning from her mama about pollinators). I have a feeling this will be a favorite book, at least for a little while.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/16/23: My grandchild loves to blow dandelions into the wind so I knew she would love this book and she did. Her mama read this to her (and me) and she really liked seeing the white dandelions and the butterfly and bee (she is learning from her mama about pollinators). I have a feeling this will be a favorite book, at least for a little while.

[Chandra Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming read that points to the beauty of the underrated dandelion. This children's book also includes fun facts about dandelions.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/1/18 Read with Naomi & Julia who love dandelions.

[Morgan Pyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Mia Posada book that is well written and illustrated for k-3rd graders. This book describes parts of a dandelion, where it grows and the different insects that visit them. It also has information on the life cycle of a dandelion and explains how the "tufts" float away and into soil where they start growing a new plant.

[Kayla Heenan]

Personal Reaction: I thought that this book was a great book to learn about dandelions. I learned a lot about the life cycle of the “weed”. I also really enjoyed how the author shows how the dandelion is much prettier than we tend to portray it. Not only is this book informational its entertaining as well.
Purpose/Use in Classroom:
I would read this book aloud to my students during a plant/science section. Not only is this book great to show the life cycle of the dandelion, it is also great to show the life cycle of plants and general. It could be a great book to open up the unit and allow some discussion. If I were to have my students read this book independently it would be great for students in the second or third grade. Students with an interest in plants and science would get a huge kick out of it.
Elements:
The illustrations in this story are really great and vivid. They provide so much for the story and it allows the students to easily follow along and with an overall better understanding of how the process of the dandelions work.

[Shayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all about dandelions. How they grow, how the look, and their life stages. It is all done in a very poetic way. The book tells the reader in what season the dandelions will bloom. And how they are visited by bees and butterflies. It also shows how dandelions survive from season to season.
I like this book because the words aren’t straight on the page all the time. They curve around the flowers and the words used are very creative. It shows very detailed pictures of dandelions.
I would use this book in a class room setting because it teaches students about these flowers. It teaches them how they grow, what they look like, life stages, and how they make more dandelions.

[Jayetta Carter-mcfarlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was be a great addition to the classroom library across elementary grade levels. Though the book is on the Pre-K or kindergarten reading level, it could be studied by elementary students of higher grades to introduce reading, writing, or science concepts. The poetic text incites the senses and that can be used to teach imaging. This book could also be used as an example of how to write poetically in informational text, across genres. I would use it in science class to engage the students in a lesson about the life cycle of a plant or to explore the dandelion plant.

[Elizabeth Mcdonough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science book that teaches about plants and how seeds spread. The book is written with rhyming words. The back of the book has science activities that you can do with a dandelions to learn more about how plants grow.

[Meghan]

This book describes the life cycle of a dandelion. It's pictures are helpful in describing what is happening to the dandelion, and some of the text curves or is different colors, making it more interesting. This book also has suggestions at the back for ways to further study dandelions.

[Claudia Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent all the way round. The pictures are beautiful, the text is written in rhyme form and the information is to the point. The young reader is encouraged to further explore dandelions at the end of the book. This book is a must for any young reader.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how this book is non-fiction, but its text is very obviously poetry. It is a perfect example of using writing in a Science class room at all grade levels.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an easy recipe in the back for salad with dandelion greens--now if you were a kid wouldn't THAT be cool? :)

[Nakitah]

Rhyming text presents the dandelion, not as a weed, but as a flower of great beauty. Includes information about the flower, a recipe, and science activities

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book illustrates the growth of a dandelion, from seed to flower, in a cyclical manner. Nonfiction. Rhyming words.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Cycle of a dandelion. Kids can create a flow chart or story map. We had kids stop and draw pictures while reading. visualization**

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about the life cycle of the dandelion plant. We used the reading strategy of drawing/writing the different stages on a strip of paper to show how the life cycle could repeat itself.

[Rachel Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, very short nonfiction science book to use with primary students. It could definitely be paired with many discovery learning activities with flowers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

2.6