Mushrooms & Fungi for Kids: An Introduction to Mycology

by Ariel Bonkoski

Overview

Discover the importance of mushrooms and fungi in this children’s book that includes an introduction to mycology, as well as common mushrooms and fungi.

Mushrooms are truly amazing! They are more closely related to animals than to plants, and there are some 150,000 different species—not counting the millions that are likely waiting to be discovered. Become a young mycologist. Learn all about mushrooms, fungi, and lichens. Debut author and mushroom expert Ariel Bonkoski presents a kids’ introduction to mycology. From well-known fungi like puffballs and lion’s mane to toxic varieties like destroying angels, this book provides the information kids need to know about fungi.

A perfect guide for beginners, Mushrooms & Fungi for Kids starts with an introduction to the kingdom of Fungi. Then it guides readers through the shapes, colors, and forms of mushrooms. The book further discusses mushrooms’ important role in the environment, their relationships with insects, and more. In the field-guide section, fungi are organized by shape and structure to help kids (and adults) start understanding the basics of the mushroom world. While this is not a guide to foraging, readers can gain a lifelong appreciation of mushrooms and fungi by learning to recognize the major groups of them.

Inside You’ll Find

• Beginner’s guide to mushrooms and fungi of North America
• The basics of mycology and mushroom anatomy
• Identification guide to common groups of mushrooms and fungi
• Fun bonus activities for the whole family

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647554293
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Series:	Simple Introductions to Science
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	6 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ariel Bonkoski is a mushroom identification expert who resides in Duluth, Minnesota. She has been studying fungi since 2016 and has taught mushroom identification courses and led forays for colleges, public schools, mycological societies, and nature centers throughout North America. She is an active Master Naturalist, with a passion for learning, giving back to nature, and connecting people to nature. Ariel spends much of her free time camping, hiking, and foraging. She aspires to become an exceptional naturalist.

Read an Excerpt

Discovering Mushrooms and Fungi: An Introduction to Mycology

Mycology is the scientific study of fungi, which is a diverse group of microorganisms that includes yeasts, molds, mushrooms, and more. Fungi play important roles in various ecosystems, as they are involved in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and symbiotic relationships with plants. Mycologists, or scientists who specialize in mycology, explore the biology, taxonomy, ecology, and medical significance of fungi.

The Kingdom Fungi

Imagine a magical kingdom where some of the weirdest and most amazing living things live. It’s called the Kingdom Fungi, and it’s like a hidden world right under our noses! Fungi can occur in every environment on Earth and plays very important roles in most ecosystems. Fungi includes mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. Fungi are our friends too. Yeast helps bakers make bread fluffy, and they’re behind the scenes in the making of other delicious things like pizza. Some of us enjoy eating mushrooms on our pizzas or in our pastas. Grab your magnifying glass, put on your adventure hat, and let’s go on an adventure to explore the magical Kingdom Fungi together.

Fungi are a grouping of eukaryotic organisms, or organisms that have a membrane-bound nucleus. The nucleus holds the organism’s DNA. Plants and animals are also eukaryotic organisms. What sets fungi apart from plants and animals is the cell structures.

There are a few qualifications an organism needs to be in the Kingdom Fungi. They have chitin (the same thing that makes insect shells hard) in their cell walls, they do not move during their life, they do not contain chlorophyll, and they are larger than bacteria. These qualifications have actually changed throughout the years, so some things that used to be considered fungi no longer are—like slime molds.

One cool thing about fungi in North America is that it is a fairly new study for us. Fungi has been closely studied in places like Europe and Asia for many, many years. When mycologists started studying fungi in North America, they assumed we had a lot of the same mushroom species as the European species because they looked nearly identical. In recent years, mycologists have been studying the DNA of different fungi species and have discovered that a lot of mushrooms here are different species than what they have in Europe. This has resulted in lots of name changes for our North American fungi. If you keep studying and become a citizen scientist or a mycologist, you may just make some cool discoveries yourself!

Where Do Fungi Grow?

Fungi can grow anywhere in the world, even Antarctica! They can grow in dry conditions, like in deserts, or in very moist environments, such as on the bottom of bodies of water. As mentioned earlier, you can also find fungi growing on food or on the walls of your home. It is most common to find fungi out in nature though. You could go to your local park or take a walk around your neighborhood to find cool fungi, like mushrooms.

Types of Fungi

There are a few different types of fungi. There are molds, yeasts, smuts, and mushrooms. There are also slime molds, which used to be considered fungi, until they were moved to the Protista kingdom. Let’s cover the differences of these.

Mushrooms

A mushroom is the fruiting body of a much larger organism. Mushrooms grow from mycelium that is typically in the soil or wood. The mycelium is very thin and splits in all different directions. Mycelium could look similar to a spider’s cobweb. Because of that, we usually don’t see it when it’s all mixed in with soil or wood. We just see the fruiting body known as the mushroom.

Now, not all fungi produce mushrooms. As we mentioned before, there are things like molds, yeasts, and even toe fungi that don’t produce mushrooms. It would be really weird if we could grow mushrooms from our toes! Mushrooms can take on many different shapes, colors, sizes and textures.

Molds

I think we have all seen food that has been on the kitchen counter or in the fridge for too long and starts to develop strange color spots or even becomes kind of hairy or powdery. That is mold. We usually think, “Yuck,” and throw it away as quickly as possible without giving it much thought. But that is a fungus. There are many types of molds out there, but most people are only familiar with food molds. Molds can also occur in places like our bathrooms or in nature. They can occur just about anywhere!

Yeasts

Yeasts are microscopic, egg-shaped fungi cells. Because they are so small, you will never be able to see them without a microscope. They usually occur in soils or on plants. They especially like sugary substrates, so they are often found on fruits or sweet flower nectar.

Lichens

Lichens aren’t strictly a fungus, but they produce when algae grows among multiple species of fungi. They can appear in different shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. Some lichen species can look more like mushrooms, while others sometimes look more like plants.

Slime Molds

Slime molds are not actually a fungus at all, but many years ago, they used to be considered a type of fungi. Slime molds are now in the protist kingdom. You might be thinking, “Why are molds a fungus but slime molds are not?” Slime molds are not considered true molds. Slime molds have unique cell structures that differ from true molds or fungi. We will cover a few common slime molds in the field guide portion of the book.

Table of Contents

My Mushroom Awakening

Discovering Mushrooms and Fungi: An Introduction to Mycology

Types of Mushrooms

Mushroom Anatomy

How Mushrooms Reproduce

Fungi in the Ecosystem

Special Section: Fungi, Insects, and Invertebrates

Fungi and People

Identifying Mushrooms

Projects and Activities

About the Author