Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate by Sara Levine, Masha D'yans (Illustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): This new book from Sara Levine features a cantankerous talking cactus as a narrator, revealing to readers the significance of different colors of flowers in terms of which pollinators (bees, bats, birds, etc.) different colors "talk" to. A fun nonfiction presentation of science info that may be new to many kids--and adults!

"We sit here growing, minding our own business while you guys go on about how red roses stand for love and white ones are good for weddings and all kinds of mushy, ridiculous stuff. What a load of fertilizer!"

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I loved this! We loved this! You'll love this (at least I hope you will)! Flower Talk was funny, witty, and educational. The narrator is the purple cactus you see on the cover, and the kiddos and I enjoyed its grumpy, straightforward attitude. I laughed! We laughed! You'll laugh (at least I hope you will)! 

Flower Talk is a story about plants and how they survive. It talks about pollination, how a flower's coloring attracts certain insects, and what those insects do to ensure their survival. Butterflies are more likely to land on this color, while bees prefer that one, and flies are (unsurprisingly) attracted to the flowers that smell terrible.

"The flower gets pollen, but the fly gets nothing. The only rotten thing around here is the deal."

This may be a children's book, but I immediately wanted a copy for myself our shelves! We've read it many, many times now, and it's quickly becoming a bedtime favorite -- especially with the amazing illustrations! The pictures grab your attention and make it really hard to turn the page.

Flower Talk is the whole package: a fantastic story with wonderful illustrations and a little education on the side (there's additional information at the end that's pretty great, too).

Side note: I decided to Google the illustrator, Masha D'yans, to see if any other books popped up (yes, the illustrations are that good), and stumbled across a calendar! You can buy D'yans 2019 calendar on Amazon (no affiliate links here), and it's stunning! I've already ordered one for myself. 

Here's an example from Amazon: