Flora: Australia’s Most Curious Plants – Tania McCartney

National Library of Australia

October 2024

9781922507716 /AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99

Try some Flora puzzles! Watch a Waratah bloom via Tania’s skills

I have watched the development of this stunning companion to Fauna for months now and have eagerly anticipated its arrival. And how very beautiful it is – of course! With the meticulous attention to detail we know to expect from this extraordinary creator, this is just a sublime page-turner stuffed full of the kind of fascinating facts that both children and adults will find irresistable.

Tania takes us on a botanical tour of Australia’s most striking, most iconic and most dangerous plants from desert to water, from trees to grasses, from bush tucker to ‘don’t EVER eat this’, from coast to the mountains, all interspersed with tiny snippets additional to the actual information about the plants as well as peeks at the creatures who love to eat or live in them.

Tania opens with Flora Landscapes taking readers around Australia showing plants typical of various locations and moves from there onto the Parts of Plant, a nicely delineated look at scientific terminology explained simply and clearly, accompanied of course by detailed diagrams.

These are followed by some pages dedicated to significant species i.e. eucalypts, acacias and proteacae. Then there’s a gorgeous Gondwana Garden deep dive, into those unique plants that stand out from flora of other continent and on it goes. The book covers floral emblems (is that still something the Year 2/3 children look at?), meanings of flowers and a flora calendar. There’s a wonderful double spread on the future and how we can preserve plants – we (and kiddos) know about endangered animal species pretty thoroughly, but what about plants? This is a particularly important chapter, IMO. I love the last double spread with the images that evoke old-style postcard pics of favourites.

Finally the extensive glossary is a grand finale to this highly visual exploration of our amazing plants. To say I love it is an understatement. Tania’s skill and creativity always leaves me almost speechless.

I know how much she puts into all her work and yet she makes this creation of beauty seem so effortless. Her innate style and grace is always so evident in her work. It’s another title so worthy of recognition by awards committees as well as her loyal legion of fans who will relish it. Take it from me you will want this on your shelf, as an exquisitely enjoyable read in its own right and as a highly beneficial addition to any unit of work on Australia’s unique landscape and nature. My highest recommendation and a 5 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 rating.