Grow Your Own Monsters

Gr 3—5—Fun and filled with unusual project ideas for plants referred to as monsters, this is not your usual science-fair book. And that's what makes it good and also what detracts from its usefulness. It is British in its terminology and spelling. The meanings of such terms as "tetrapax," "air closet," and "airing cupboard" are pretty much mysterious. Other words and instructions can be figured out, e.g., "dustbin liner," "polythene lid," and getting seeds "by post." Solid and helpful information about the growing cycle of plants and the logic of their bloom cycles is included. For example, the Voodoo Lily corm can be planted in a pot and placed on a windowsill without water where it will grow and bloom into a foul-smelling flower that will attract flies to its rotting-flesh fragrance. Colorful and comical drawings illustrate the project steps, and full-color photos of the plants, often with children, from such monsters as a Giant Echium towering over a boy to the tiny Venus Fly Trap, fill each two-page entry. Lighthearted and packed with information, the book includes a list of mostly U.K. suppliers and a brief glossary. This British focus makes it a marginal purchase.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA