This rare and wondrous book will capture the imagination of fungi fans. You might be thinking that's a fairly small demographic, but once kids see this graceful compilation that looks like a quaint nineteenth-century natural science tract—features detailed, labeled illustrations in vivid colors that pop off pages—and read about how fungi are actually closer to animals than plants, they'll be hooked. . . The text is authoritative and informative, but the real attraction is the artwork. There are glorious spreads of ecosystems, and even the end papers are worth a look. . . This will make a handsome addition to STEM collections and should attract browsers and budding mycologists alike.
—Booklist (starred review)
Led by Gaya, a team of mycologists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, offers an irresistible, oversized introduction to fungi. Dedicated to the “next generation of mycologists,” this well-designed handbook approximates a tour of a museum, or “fungarium,” complete with foil ticket for entry and four galleries—“Fungal Biology,” “Fungal Diversity,” “Fungal Interactions,” and “Fungi and Humans.” Stop-you-in-your-tracks biological illustrations colorfully depict spores, yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. . . Even the monochromatic endpapers are frameworthy. . . Kid-pleasing macabre facts abound. . . An immersive, exquisitely illustrated trip to the fungal kingdom.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This beautifully illustrated title is a detailed survey of all types of fungi. . . . The concept of a museum is highlighted in the incredible illustrations.
—School Library Journal
The author's direct language welcomes the reader into the captivating world of fungi. The readers will feel as if they are entering into a real museum as they are directed to tour each gallery in a wonderful reading experience. . . . Opposite the text are the sumptuous and colorful illustrations. The renderings are elegant, vivid, and exquisitely detailed. . . . The museum is dense with information about the fungal world, and this title represents a fascinating and beautiful work of art which explores the rarely-visited world of fungi.
—School Library Connection
These woody mushrooms get a 'gallery' of their own in the gorgeous, museum-evoking pages of 'Fungarium'. . . Illustrated by Katie Scott and written by Ester Gaya, with the help of a phalanx of specialists, ‘Fungarium’ presents a jaw-dropping vision of the multifarious and largely hidden world of organisms that are, we read, ‘more closely related to animals than they are to plants.'
—The Wall Street Journal
[Katie Scott's] illustrations are detailed and realistic, but they don't feel like a text book. There's a life and light to her illustrations, and that's on full display in Fungarium. Ester Gaya tells fascinating stories and facts about a world of fungi, from the portobello you might find in the grocery store to the penicillin at the pharmacy.
—Book Riot
The Welcome to the Museum series is part of a large series of books by Candlewick Press; they are sort of large format encyclopedias geared towards kids, but honestly adults might enjoy them even more. The artwork is beautiful and Old World, like something from the 19th century. . . . The full-page illustrations colorfully depict mushrooms and other fungi, as well as spores, hyphae, phylogenetic tree, etc. . . . This collection is a great introduction to early learners— showing what fungi are and just how vital they are to the world’s ecosystem—but would serve well as a coffee table book for advanced mycophiles.
—FUNGI Magazine
06/01/2021
Gr 10 Up—This beautifully illustrated title is a detailed survey of all types of fungi. It is not only detailed but close to academic and scientific in its approach. It is certainly not an introduction to fungi and the language expects the reader to be fully informed on specific botanical terms and ideas. The work uses the concept of entering a fungi museum, a "Fungarium." There are chapters and details on an amazing number of fungi and many chapters discuss specific biomes and the fungi that live there. The concept of a museum is highlighted in the incredible illustrations. They are featured on a page and then the following page gives the common name, scientific name, and many details. These illustrations would be captivating to any reader interested in science and botany. The limiting aspect of this title is the text. While detailed and offering an overwhelming amount of information, it is clearly written for a student already familiar with many botanical concepts. An example of this in the section on growth reads, "All filamentous fungi are made from narrow, cylindrical tubes called hyphae." While this is accurate, even high school students might have difficulty understanding. The creators of this book are passionate about fungi and desire to share their information and, perhaps, encourage students to pursue this discipline. The illustrations will draw readers in but the text will not. VERDICT A detailed scientific survey of fungi with incredible illustrations but overly detailed text. For advanced readers only.—Susan Lissim, Dwight Sch., New York City
★ 2021-03-17
Led by Gaya, a team of mycologists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, offers an irresistible, oversized introduction to fungi.
Dedicated to the “next generation of mycologists,” this well-designed handbook approximates a tour of a museum, or “fungarium,” complete with foil ticket for entry and four galleries—“Fungal Biology,” “Fungal Diversity,” “Fungal Interactions,” and “Fungi and Humans.” Stop-you-in-your-tracks biological illustrations colorfully depict spores, yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Specific delights include a chanterelle, with its sunny yellow curves and false gills; a tendrilled jellyspot fungus; and a stark white, poisonous destroying angel. Even the monochromatic endpapers are frameworthy. Gaya and her co-authors allay mycophobia in young naturalists (“fungi…represent some of the world’s finest delicacies”) but, smartly, not entirely (“remember that some of them may kill you”). The book revels in and conveys the magic of fungi, which are not only necessary to make beer, bread, most cheeses, chocolate, and wine (more than enough reason to inspire fungiphilia), but are also key to the survival of 90% of plants as well as our own survival via penicillin and other medicines. Kid-pleasing macabre facts abound: The zombie ant fungus “grows in the body of the ant,” forcing the insect to disseminate its spores. The backmatter “library” (list of curators, index, additional resources) is helpful. Sadly, there is no glossary: While the prose is clear enough for older readers, this book relies heavily on Latin and scientific terms that aren’t always defined.
An immersive, exquisitely illustrated trip to the fungal kingdom. (Nonfiction. 8-adult)
