How Plants Talk
by Helena Haraštová, Linh Dao (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Plants can communicate and take steps to survive in difficult conditions. If a plant gets stressed out in its environment, it might shed its flowers to conserve energy. Plants put out roots to gather in nutrients and even fight for territory underground. If one plant is getting eaten by a caterpillar, it will send out signals to other plants nearby. They will start to secrete a strange smell or toxic substance to discourage caterpillars from eating them. Plants put out sweet smells to attract pollinators like bees. There are lots of things that plants do to survive and thrive!

A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky, Karen Patkau (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Flowers have many friends among birds, insects, and small animals. Bees and butterflies help to spread pollen. Snails eat old dead plant material. Spiders and frogs eat insects that are harmful to the flowers. A little field mouse might fall asleep inside a tulip and then carry pollen to other areas. Even ladybugs eat the little aphids that would kill the plants, and dragonflies eat mosquitos and gnats.

Bella and the Lost Ball
by Kateřina Svozilová, Mag Takac (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bella has lost her favorite ball. She asks the animals for help, and tries to describe the ball to them so they can help her find it. The bird has seen something beautiful, but it is not Bella’s ball. The butterfly has seen something red, but it is not Bella’s ball. The cat has seen something round, but… nope. The dog has seen something with dots on it, but it’s no use. Bella has to continue the search to remember where she left her ball.

My Cup of Art
by Katerina Karolik

3 out of 5 stars

This board book uses the styles of various famous modern painters to imagine how they might paint an ordinary cup. A cup painted by van Gogh might look more like a vase of sunflowers. A cup by Malevich would probably be a big black square with a handle. Picasso might paint a person’s head as a cup. What if the diner in Edward Hopper’s famous diner painting was actually one huge cup where the diners were floating inside the drink? Kusama might make a cup of polka dots.