Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate

A plant who looks like a cross between a purple monster and a prickly pear directly addresses readers, explaining how plants communicate to pollinators: “To make a seed, we need pollen from a different plant of our same type. How do we get that? We can’t just waltz over and take some. That’s why we need animals.” D’yans illustrates garden-variety flowers and insects in vibrant, swooshing watercolors. Levine offers accessible insights into plant life and the mutualism between plants and animals, though the narrator’s casual bluntness (“It’s time for you to leave now. Go take a hike”) can feel at odds with the science-based content and more delicate visual elements. Ages 7–11. (Mar.)