Bella and I are “shrooming” with excitement to be part of the blog tour for Fungi Grow written by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Diana Sudyka. This nonfiction picture book celebrated its book birthday on October 17, 2023. Thanks to author Maria Gianferrari and Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster for sharing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
What do you call a book about mushrooms?
A fun guide!
Picture books are impactful when the text and art seamless tell a story. In Fungi Grow, Gianferrari’s dynamic text and Sudyka’s energetic artwork make learning about fungi enjoyable and accessible.
On the first page spread, text is minimal allowing the illustration to explain the first stage of fungi. I love how kids can see the vast amount of spores released.
In the subsequent pages, kids learn the many ways fungi shoot spores. Gianferrari’s text remains concise giving Sudyka’s illustrations the spotlight. What I love most is the blending of text and art with words like puff, plop, poof, and pee-ew. Not only are kids exposed to alliteration, but also the meanings of the words are conveyed through the art.
The next stage of spores taking root is explained. Readers are introduced to tier 3 words such as hyphae and mycelium building their knowledge about the fungi life cycle. Throughout all stages, I love how Gianferrari shares information with two levels of text-the lyrical, concise narrative text as well as sidebars embedded in Sudkya’s illustrations providing more depth of facts in a paragraph.
As fungi grows into mature mushrooms, vivid verbs are once again incorporated in the artwork showing the variety that can be seen above ground.
After learning about the life cycle, readers discover how fungi are helpful and harmful. Having the ability to both hurt and heal makes mushrooms even more fascinating.
Whenever I read a text written by Gianferrari, I am always grateful because I am building content knowledge along with my students. Sudyka’s artwork supports readers to visualize and retain their new learning. For budding mycologists, back matter includes a glossary, more facts, a visual of the life cycle, additional books, blogs, and websites.
About the Author:
Maria Gianferrari’s yard is full of fungi. From branching corals and pointy stinkhorns to smoky puffballs and colorful jack-o’-lanterns, everything’s coming up mushrooms! Someday she hopes to find some morels—she’ll even share them with a squirrel. Maria’s favorite edible mushroom is the hearty portobello. She lives in Massachusetts.
About the Illustrator:
Diana Sudyka grew up hearing stories of her grandfather, an ardent forager, bringing home chicken of the woods and maitake mushrooms for meals. Her favorite edible mushroom is the delicious morel that popped up in her yard last spring. Diana lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois.
Enter Beagles & Books’ Giveaway!
- Follow me @lauramossa on Twitter and retweet my Fungi Grow giveaway tweet.
Beagles & Books 
Thanks, mush, Laura & Bella!!!
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