Tales of the Mushroom Folk

In this book, anthropomorphized mushroom families introduce children to different kinds of fungi. Each spread has a little vignette explaining what the mushroom family is up to, and the accompanying lush illustration shows them going about their business. The families are shown doing things such as gathering berries or shooing away damaging insects or cleaning their mushroom home. The vignettes aren’t little stories, but more like explanations of what the mushroom folk are doing in each illustration.

This book is really all about the illustrations. They are beautifully rendered in rich colors with lots of wonderful details. The book has the look and feel of a children’s book that might have been produced a hundred years ago. There is no cohesive story here, and it seems to have been written simply as an introduction to different members of the mushroom and toadstool family. Some of these, which look cute in the main part of the book, are highly poisonous, as is explained on a two-page spread at the back of the book. Few children will be engaged by this text-heavy, story-free book. Perhaps those who love old-fashioned art will like it, but otherwise, it will not be very popular.