Christopher Cheng (text) and Danny Snell (illustrator) Pollination: How Does my Garden Grow? CSIRO Publishing, February 2023, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781486313235
The unnamed narrator of this scientific picture book is spending the day with Gran and Pa in their garden. When picking some flowers for Gran, some bees start to buzz around and a discussion begins about the role they play in pollinating plants. This then progresses to other insects and animals which are useful pollinators and the role that smell and colour play in attracting them to the garden. As night falls, nocturnal creatures also help the process and the next day the neighbours can be seen moving some beehives to a different location. The young narrator returns home to an apartment with a potted plant to grow on the balcony.
This simple colourful book shows active grandparents (albeit with beard and glasses) sharing their knowledge and homegrown food with their beloved grandchild. There are many positive aspects to this book apart from the information imparted along the way. There is the lovely relationship between the generations, family members of various backgrounds and the reality of urban living in an apartment without a backyard.
The straightforward text combined with multicoloured illustrations which also use black outlining is most attractive and the endpapers show many of the creatures mentioned in the story. Teacher notes are available at the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
