Family of Forest & Fungi

Author: Valetta Sowka

Paperback / softback 52pp h297mm x w210mm x s5mm Full colour/watercolour illustrations
297mm(H) x 210mm(W)

How did our Maori ancestors use mushrooms? What are some of the astounding ways that fungi can
help us? Why do some mushrooms glow? Discover the answers to these questions and more in this
book for tamariki about the magical world of fungi. Help your child build a natural connection to the
taiao by journeying to the forests of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and discovering the amazing, hidden
kingdom of fungi that dwells there!

Includes: - te reo vocabulary related to te taiao, the natural world -
exercises for your child to complete to help them connect to te taiao and practise what they are learning
about fungi - practical activities with fungi such as making ink, spore prints and how to grow your own
mushrooms at home. Written by Valetta Sowka, with beautiful watercolour illustrations by well-loved
children's book illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White and translations by Hana Park.
Contents:
1. Authors preface 2. Foreword 3. How to use this book 4. The place where you live 5. Listening to your
environment 6. Connecting our senses (Open your eyes to nature; Smell the scent of the forest; Listen to
the sounds of nature; Feel the world around you) 7. Observe the cycles of nature. 8. Seasonal changes in
Aotearoa 9. Our special role within the bigger picture 10. Trees 11. Native trees of Aotearoa 12. Fungi
13. Importance of correct identification 14. Native fungi of Aotearoa 15. Fungi life cycle 16. Mycelium
17. Make a mushroom spore print 18. Different types of fungi 19. Fungi living in symbiosis with plants
20. Fungi in everyday life 21. Make mushroom ink! 22. How did our ancestors benefit from fungi? 23.
How fungi can help us and the environment 24. Mushrooms and fungi have many benefits and uses! 25.
You can grow mushrooms at home! 26. References 27. Acknowledgements 28. Contributors