Jack-in-the-Pulpit: 9 - Hardcover

Grade 3-6-- A photo feast for budding botanists and wildflower lovers. By focusing on a common and familiar yet striking plant, Wexler hooks his readers and provides a fascinating journey through the life cycle and reproduction of what he jokingly refers to as Spadix-in-the-spathe (jack-in-the-pulpit). The bold, crisp photographs, a Wexler trademark, perfectly meld with the text to show the various stages of growth as well as specific plant parts. Botanical terms such as stigma, gametes, and pistillate flowers are introduced and explored as a part of the odyssey through the life cycle. However, this is not a technical tome. It is a book that is devoted to wonder and appreciation. It may lead especially enthusiastic readers to try the four-year growing experiment that the author uses to document the slow growth of the plant. A solid science/nature book that will delight and challenge readers to explore the complexities of the living things around them. --Steve Matthews, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the manner of Wexler's Wonderful Pussy Willows (1992), a lucid description of this appealing woodland flower, focusing on its propagation and growth and complemented by stunning color photos detailing appearance, habitat, and such magnified details as the male and female flowers (one ``Jack'' can be either or both) and the tiny gnats that pollinate them. The author doesn't always answer questions he raises (why does the pulpit's hood ``seem to come in two colors''?), but otherwise he's admirably detailed and precise, using scientific terms while maintaining an easy, conversational tone and adding such intriguing bits as the Native American's preparation of the corms as a food (``Indian turnips'') despite the powerful taste that normally protects them. A handsome presentation that wonderfully conveys the fascination of learning a lot about a particular species. (Nonfiction. 7-11) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.