"If I Were a Fungus" is a great informational book about fungi. The illustrations were really charming, and the text was engaging and fun. I think this would be a great readaloud, and I plan to use it with some of my classes when it comes out.

Who doesn't love fungus?

A blend of science education, colorful illustrations, and a boy imagining what it would be like to be a fungus. I feel that parts of this story worked better than others. The beginning of the book was cute and easy to follow and when some mushroom science came in I was excited for the ride. However, the way the illustrations were done and the way certain facts about fungus were portrayed didn't always quite hit the mark. I'd be interested to see how many of these facts would actually stick with kids.

Despite this, it's a cute story and I wholeheartedly support teaching kids about fungus!! Not to mention,
the little mushroom is absolutely adorable!

A lovely, colorful introduction to fungi. Preschoolers will be able to easily understand the concept of what a fungus is after reading this. Kids who aren't so interested in the sciences will be entertained by the fun pictures and silly story. My favorite part was the asides between some of the animals.

Older children will benefit from the pages at the end with "Things We Know About Fungi." There is even a vocab list and suggestions for other good books on the subject.

Great for children, and will also be informative for most adults. I guarantee this becomes a favorite for any mushroom lover. I will be buying many copies to hand out for gifts for young and old.

I love fungi and took a mycology course in college, so when I saw a children's book focusing on teaching young children about them I had to grab it. However, I didn't really like this and feel like it would have only confused a child being read this book.

The art style is very simplified and would have been nice for easy-to-see drawings of the fungi in question, but I felt too often the mushroom was being drawn too like a person instead, causing confusion.

The beginning where they explain the different shapes of fungi, as well as the end where they go through a brief overview of them, worked and the simplified art style did not take away from it. If the middle portion of the book was more set up like these ones, I think the book would have been a better introduction to mycology to a young child.

However, during the main portion of the book, I MYSELF was confused at times with what was being portrayed or attempted at being explained - and I'm 29 years old with a biology degree who took a mycology course for fun. There were also a few times I felt like more information than necessary was given to explaining a concept, as for a young child I feel like simpler is better.

As I'm not a child, nor do I have one to show this book to, I have no definitive evidence that this wouldn't work for a young child - but I'm fairly certain if I were a child I would have been confused and uninterested in what was being taught as I'd feel like I was being talked down to.

I will say that I think this book could be a good introduction to fungi, as long as you had another book nearby to help answer any questions your child would have after finishing it.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Lerner Publishing Group/Millbrook Press for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute, and I love easy-to-understand science books. The main part of the story is the kid imagining what his life would be like as a fungus, ending with a few pages where scientific facts are laid out in a simple manner. The pictures and the story were highly amusing, and the kid really got the idea that a fungus could be anywhere.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

If the retro, colorful illustrations and the quirky mushroom mannerisms aren't enough to win you over, than surely the "further reading" recommendations in the back will! (Including one of my faves, Elise Gravel) This really is a fun picture book that gets a little absurd, just like fungus.

This was not my cup of tea. The information is good but the illustrations take away from the knowledge and make it hard to follow. My kid didn’t really understand it all with the way it was illustrated but we’ve done a different one with similar info and he loved and spouted all he learned.

had so much fun reading this book, the story is so adorable and the illustrations were so well done and charming, there’s so many little details in every page that I couldn’t stop but be mesmerized by it all. I will definitely be recommending it! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Adorable. Simply adorable and also incredibly informational. Mushrooms are undervalued and I love that this book exists.

Mushroom fans unite! If I Were a Fungus pays respect and often overlooked attention to fungus. With playful shapes and mushrooms of all colors, and sizes, readers of silly will relish over this one. Not only are the illustrations super fun, but the nature of the story keeps the pages turning and there is an educational element as well. I love this and I will be purchasing it soon!

Thank y0u to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was sold at the term "fungus" in the title.

I have an unconstrained love of anything forest-core.

This was a cute picture book that could be a great tool for young readers to understand the vast shapes and behaviors of fungi in the natural world.

The artwork was unique and simplified in a way that even younger readers could grasp the idea of what the words were speaking on.

This is a sweet children's book that introduces facts about fungi in a delightful and charming way. The illustrations are simple and sweet, and clearly depict some complex ideas. This book is educational and approachable, with a topic that I do not see written about often.

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC to review!

If I Were a Fungus is a cute children's book that teaches kids about different fungi and how they interact with the world. While reading this to my children, I found as an adult that I learned some things! (I thought a mushroom was a fungus, not the fruit of one!) The illustrations are cute, if not a bit confusing (my daughter said the fungus looked like an intestine) but it gets it's point across. If you're child is interested in fungi and wants to learn more, then this book is for you!

"...there's always a fungus among us!"

This is a cute, simply illustrated book that teaches the reader about fungi and the mushrooms that may come along with them. While I enjoyed the information in the book, I did feel that the formatting was a bit strange. There was the little story with a few very basic tidbits THEN a list of more in-depth facts. Personally, I would have preferred for the facts to be incorporated into the story a bit more, but that's just my preference.

🧚🏻Thank you to NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and author Gaia Stella for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Simple illustrations to go along with educational information about fungi. (I have to admit, even as an adult, I learned a few new facts)

If I Were a Fungus is a great addition to any little reader’s library.