FLOWER POWER: THE MAGIC OF NATURE’S HEALERS, by Christine Paxmann and Olaf Hajek, Prestel Junior, April 14, 2020, Hardcover, $19.95 (ages 8-12)
For thousands of years, people have been using plants and flowers as medicine. Flower Power: The Magic of Nature’s Healers celebrates some of the garden’s most dazzling blooms.
Flower Power pairs artist Olaf Hajek’s paintings with author Christine Paxmann’s engaging text.
Featured flowers include: artichoke, bellflower, chicory, common mallow, dandelion, echinacea, ginger, iris, Madonna lily, marigold, Mary thistle, passion flower, peony, pineapple, red poppy, rowan, and wild rose.
Each flower gets its own spread with a full-page illustration that is full of detailed whimsy. The images are full of insects, birds, fruit, people, and even fairytales. The accompanying text starts with three questions and builds from there.
- Marigold: Can a flower predict love? Can it make cheese more beautiful? And can you use marigolds to forecast the weather?
- Common Mallow: Can a flower cure almost anything? Can it also be used to color food and die wool? And what plant grows on rubbish heaps?
- Red Poppy: Why are the petals of the field poppy so red? Why does the sed case look like a small container? Can you write with the red poppy?
Flower Power is one of those books that parents will buy for their children but keep for themselves. It’s great for budding gardeners/naturalists and experts alike. It’s a book I would happily leave out for company to peruse, and I would love to hang some of the illustrations on my wall.
