Roses Red, Violets Blue: Why Flowers Have Colors (Discovery)

Examines the nature and function of flower colors and explains their role in attracting animal pollinators to help the plants reproduce

Grade 6-9-- An attractive presentation about the importance of color in plant reproduction. Opening with a concise, clearly written explanation of general plant reproduction, the volume then provides a detailed description of how various colors affect flowering plants' functions. The pigments that produce each color are also introduced and include an experiment with anthocyanin pigments (purple). The often complex and mutually beneficial relationships between plants and animals during the pollination process are also outlined. One of the most interesting sections deals with the varying ways in which insects and animals see color. The brilliant photographs are the book's most dazzling and distinctive feature, and they are appropriately matched with the text. The book answers the question its subtitle poses and presents a straightforward, if detailed, discussion of this crucial aspect of plant life. It is comparable to Anne Ophella Dowden's The Clover & the Bee (Crowell, 1990), but focuses more on flower color as a factor in pollination rather than on the plant--animal relationships. Both are desirable additions to collections serving young adults.
- Steve Matthews, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Eye-catching, full-color flower photos enhance this adaptation of Colors of Flowers and Insects (published in Japan in 1988). Rather like a high-school botany text, it describes reproduction in spore-producing plants, gymnosperms, and the familiar angiosperms. Specialized terms (pistil, stigma, anthocyanins) appear in bold and are defined in the glossary. Then comes the good stuff: The author describes how flowers appear colored because pigments in their petals absorb some wavelengths of visible light and reflect others, while white flowers contain air spaces that reflect light rays; the purpose of the color is to enhance pollination. Especially interesting are ultraviolet photographs showing flowers as they appear to insects, which can see light in the ultraviolet range. Difficult but fascinating for students who persevere. Scientific names of plants in the index. (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.