Plant Secrets

by Emily Goodman

Young scientists will love this nature mystery that reveals the secrets hiding in seeds, plants, flowers, and fruits throughout the life cycle of various flora. Curiosity will bloom in this introduction to botany and primary nature science.

Plants come in all shapes and sizes, but they go through the same stages as they grow. Using four common plants, young readers learn about plant structure and life cycle. Simple text and colorful, detailed illustrations show the major phases of plant growth with each stage holding a “secret” for curious readers to guess.  Back matter offers more information on each plant, as well as greater detail on each stage of growth.

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

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shh. Every plant has a secret or really a series of secrets. Seeds hold the secret of a new plant inside them. Plants have the secret of being able to create flowers. Flowers in turn are able to turn into fruits. And inside the fruits are the hidden seeds. Cleverly done with lots of scientific information, many good examples offering variety, and the theme of secrecy and surprises, this book will be well received by children.

Goodman does a great job of being scientifically accurate but also speaking at a child-appropriate level about plants. Tildes has created illustrations that do the same. Her gouache illustrations are detailed but very approachable. They also represent plants that children will recognize from their own lives.

An accessible and interesting book about the life-cycle of plants, this will be welcomed in preschool and early elementary classrooms as well as libraries. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

[17moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing non-fiction book about plants! If you’re looking for a book that can be used for explaining things about plants to a young child, you won’t go wrong with this one. The major part of the book is written in simple words with a ton of pictures to show to a child that is just starting to learn.
After those explanations follow a few pages with more detailed information that can be used by children who are already comfortable with reading. And the last few pages are just pictures of plants and seeds with their names next to them. Perfect for the youngest!
And did I mention that the pictures are astonishing?

[Kristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one. It talks about the plant cycle, the stages of each, and how some parts of the cycle are more important to each plant. The examples used were pea (seed), acorn (plant - tree), tomato (fruit), and roses (flower). Loved the example - it was a great and easy to understand for my daughter.

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

#cbad 2018-2019 - 5th grade SCA - 9/10/18 - average rating 3.7

[Kendra Hanzlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never thought about how we find different stages of different plants more important. Seed, Plant, Flower, or Fruit

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Kindle version of this and it appeared to have been in PDF format and therefore very difficult to read (format wasn't very good). Otherwise, it was pretty informative for young ones.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for little ones to learn about the plant and its different stages.

[Mrs.Capuano]

This is a great book to discuss the concept of life cycle with small children. It follows 4 types of plants from seeds to plants to flowers to fruit and explains it in a brief enough way that young ones can appreciate it.

[Marguarite Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great nonfiction picture book to share with teachers. They could definitely incorporate this into a science lesson.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice look at the plant lifecycle. The children enjoyed identifying the 4 different plants at different stages.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent non-fiction Kindergarten or Pre-school level book on plants and seeds. Great for a read aloud, or for individuals studying the topic. It also has a section with further information.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the simplicity of this book. A great introduction to the stages of plant life from seed to seed. Focuses on oak, peas, roses & tomatoes. The illustrations are beautiful and detailed.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations. Clear message. Previewing for our botany study.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent non fiction picture book about plant reproduction. Tied together beautifully by something children cannot resist - SECRETS! Gorgeous illustrations are accurate and appealing.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely read this one again when I am teaching Flora about the life cycle of plants!

[Nancy Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat approach, eye-popping illustrations.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about plants and how they grow. Each part has a secret ... seeds can become plants, plants can become flowers, flowers can become fruits, and guess what's inside fruits! Scientific but at the perfect level for young children, with wonderful illustrations.