Book Review

It is hard to think of a more apt topic for a middle-grades book on nature seen close-up than this! The color photos show views of a mold-stricken peach, fruiting bodies, puffball spore clouds, spore prints of edible mushrooms, and lichens both dry and moist. This is a fair representation at modest magnification of a whole living kingdom to which too little attention is paid. Even yeasts are treated, ... The approach is a hands-on one: you are shown how to grow a dark grey mold on white bread, and green-grey penicillium on a lemon section too. Safety is good; emphasis is strong on keeping the mold cultures sealed and safely destroyed… This book is a cheerful, handsome beginning…

~ Philip and Phylis Morrison, Scientific American excerpt

Slime Molds and Fungi has wonderful photographs that show the beauty of fungi. This book demonstrates the diversity of fungi, their importance for decay, how to look for living organisms and how to grow them. This title is recommended as a great way to bring interest to something that many find to be "gross" things.

~ Maria Palopoli, Science Teacher, Brunswick Junior High School

Slime Molds and Fungi has good pictures and experiments, but not enough on the role of fungi in ecosystems.

~ Anne Hayden, Natural Resources Consultant, author