148. The Secret Lives of Plants! by Janet Slingerland

The Secret Lives of Plants! by Janet Slingerland. Illustrated by Okasana Kemarskaya (US) - (Canada)
Graphic Library

Pages: 32
Ages: 9+
Finished: May 23, 2012
First Published: Jan. 1, 2012
Publisher: Capstone Press
Genre: children, non-fiction, graphic novel, biology
Rating: 3/5


First sentence: "A little acorn has found its way into a prime spot."

Publisher's Summary: "Plants may look innocent, but they’re sneaky, tricky, secretive little buggers. You could watch them all day and they would never move an inch. But hidden from your eyes, their roots, leaves, and blossoms are always working. From photosynthesis to reproduction, get ready to uncover the science of plants and the secrets that they keep."

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: Received a review copy and I have always been happy with this publishers books in the past.

From this book and the previous one about asteroids, I'll have to say I am not impressed with the latest offering of science books for the Graphic Library series.  I did really enjoy the illustrations in this book.  They are 90% nature shots and yet still, even with the few illustrations of people, the artwork has a slight manga look to it while also reminding me of illustrated nature books from the '60s and '70s.  Very nice to look at.  The text is quite dry and not told in a very engaging voice.  It is however full of interesting and informational facts.  This book is geared at grades 3-9 and while not a book I'd have at home to read front to end; it would make a good library/classroom book for research purposes on the topic.  This book is much drier than I've found other Graphic Library books but it does succeed in being both a visually pleasant and informational non-fiction book, which is what it sets out to be in the first place.