Flowers Are Calling

February 2, 2015
The team behind Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? returns to explore the way flowers seem to “call” to certain pollinator species in order to propagate. Gray’s rhymes use poetic red herrings of a sort to engage readers: “Flowers are calling a desert deer./ No, not a deer! He can’t even get near./ They’re calling a nectar bat to flap over here.” Pak’s digitally altered watercolors capture a wide range of flora and fauna, from delicate Queen Anne’s lace to pale moonflowers that attract moths by night. It’s a sophisticated blend of scientific information and artistry. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Fiona Kenshole, Transatlantic Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions.

January 15, 2015
Verse alternates with facts about pollinators, depicted with their preferred flowering plants.Gray establishes a playful pattern: In each of three successive double-page spreads, she pairs a nonpollinating animal and a pollinator. "Flowers are calling a little black bear. / No, not a bear! He doesn't care. // They're calling a butterfly / to dip from the air." Next, an anchoring spread gathers and names the three preceding plants, providing prose nuggets about their pollinators' preferences. Regarding the trumpet honeysuckle, "Hummingbirds use their long tongues to reach the nectar hidden in deep tubular flowers, and hover as they drink." The magnolia garners this revelation: "Beetles have been visiting flowers for more than 100 million years." Verse sections can be uneven. Often lovely couplets-rhyming or near-rhyming-bump up against lines that don't scan well; in one case, the rhyme pairs a plural subject with a singular object: "Flowers are calling a rabbit to stop. / No, not a rabbit! It's not their habit to call a rabbit. / He might grab it! // They're calling a bee fly to visit their spot." Pak's pretty, digitally worked watercolors achieve equilibrium between stylized reduction and naturalistic verisimilitude. Two spreads visit flowers with nighttime pollinators-a nice touch. Concluding prose invites children to examine flowers for elements like pattern, shape and smell, explaining how pollinators utilize these attributes. Although it has some textual flaws, this quiet, introspective work beckons readers to keenly observe. (fact page, website) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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