World of Mushrooms by Pauline Payen is just the book parents of outdoor children need. Yesterday I took my kids hiking at the nature preserve by the house. It had just rained so we saw plenty of spring mushrooms on our journey. By chance when we got home I had this book waiting for me. they enjoyed looking at the charming illustrations with me. I even learned a few fun facts. I will definitely be recommending this book to fellow homeschoolers. Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC. All views are my own.

This is a book that I will read over and over. It’s very informative but not in a boring way. Especially little comic humor bring the book to life. Just learning the I importance of mushrooms and how it plays a role in our ecosystem. Also I love to test different mushrooms and one day will hunt for truffles.

BOOK REVIEW: “World of Mushrooms: Discover the Freaky, Fantastic Fungi that Lurk in the Woods, Pop up in Lawns, and Sneak around Underground” by Pauline Payen

This adorable picture book is aimed at children ages 7-11, but honestly, I think all ages could benefit from it. I love science and I felt that at 38 years old, even I learned something while reading! The author combines mushroom facts with colorful illustrations that are visually pleasing to look through!

Readers will get to explore how mushrooms grow with their vast underground network, what type of habitats they grow best in, and their roles in our ecosystem! The end of the book includes a few well known and lesser known mushroom types to be aware of.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am excited to read through it with my kids! I rate it as five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Very short and great read including key vocabulary and features in the fungi world. I enjoyed it and will be looking for more

I really liked the field guide section of this, with pictures and descriptions of certain types of mushrooms.

Much of the book isn't too visually appealing. It's a bit cluttered. The talking mushrooms are a nice idea, but they're not very cute - maybe make them happier?

I prefer World of Rot.

Regardless, all the very outdoorsy people at my library will enjoy this. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Over the years I have become a little obsessed with mushrooms. The illustrations in this books were exactly the kind I love. It was informative but also made fun by the more whimsical drawings. I do think this book is targeted at younger readers, but I enjoyed it just the same. It didn't have any information I didn't already know, but the information itself was delivered in a concise and neat manner. I do think for me, the glossary of mushrooms at the end redeemed this title for me. I just wish it would have listed more of a variety, as there were so few listed. I would definitely recommend this title for mushroom enthusiasts around grades of 4-6.

This book is written really well, and all of the information included in it is clear, concise, and interesting. I definitely learned a lot about mushrooms, and in such a short amount of time as well. However, I don't know if/think this book will be appealing or interesting to younger readers, and it seems like that's the audience for whom this book is intended. Don't get me wrong, there is likely a few kids out there that want to know all about mushroom anatomy, and the different types of mushrooms that they might come across, but it's likely not the majority of kids. Even though this book might not appeal to a large number of people, I still think that it's written well and is a great starting point for aspiring botanists/biologists to understand fungi and, more specifically, mushrooms.

This is the cutest little Mushy book!

However, don't let its cuteness fool you! This book is full of captivating illustrations and outlines the magical role of mushrooms in a simple and easy to understand way.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.
This book was very informative. It would be a great addition to my school library. My students respond well to illustrated non fiction books.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this informative and creative book about mushrooms! I learned so much and am intrigued to learn more. The pictures are great too.

What a fascinating and beautifully crafted book! World of Mushrooms is an absolute delight, packed with quirky and brilliant illustrations that make the world of fungi come to life. My children and I learned so much while reading it together—from the mushroom life cycle to why they are so important to our ecosystem.

The book does a fantastic job of introducing different types of mushrooms in an engaging and accessible way. It’s incredibly informative without ever feeling overwhelming, making it perfect for young nature enthusiasts (and their parents!). My boys were completely captivated, and we’re now even more excited to go on nature walks and spot some of these incredible fungi in the wild.

If you're looking for a fun and educational book to inspire curiosity about the natural world, World of Mushrooms is a must-have. It’s perfect for nature studies, and I know we’ll be referring back to it time and time again!

This was a great way to present the many different types of mushrooms, their uses in the environment and how they create a symbiotic network with the natural world. I really enjoyed the illustrations and found the book very informative.

As a lover of mushrooms and fungi in general, I felt that this was a great way to introduce the somewhat odd nature of fungi for children. I appreciate the simplification of information (reproductive lifecycle, etc.) and honestly felt like there was an impressive breadth of information included in this book, including most of what excites me about the topic. It was an overall well-rounded introduction!

"World of Mushrooms" by Pauline Payen is an enchanting, visually captivating journey into the fascinating universe of fungi. From the very first page, the book immerses readers in the rich, diverse world of mushrooms, exploring their various species, habitats and roles in the ecosystem with a depth of knowledge that is both accessible and awe-inspiring.

Author's writing is not only informative but also incredibly engaging. She blends scientific insights with poetic descriptions, allowing readers to connect with mushrooms on a deeper level. The illustrations are absolutely stunning — vibrant, detailed, and beautifully rendered, they bring the world of mushrooms to life in a way that complements the narrative perfectly.

What sets "World of Mushrooms" apart is its ability to appeal to both casual nature enthusiasts and more dedicated mycologists. The book is a perfect balance of factual accuracy and artistic expression, making it a treasure for anyone with a curiosity about the natural world. Payen also provides practical tips on mushroom identification, which is a wonderful resource for those interested in foraging.

Overall, this is a masterpiece that will captivate anyone with an appreciation for nature's wonders. Whether you're a seasoned mushroom enthusiast or someone simply curious about the mysterious world of fungi, this book is an absolute must short-read.

As a big fan of mushrooms, I really enjoyed this nonfiction picture book. The illustrations are beautiful, with lively, detailed images of mushrooms and their environment that make the content both fun and informative. It’s packed with cool facts about how mushrooms grow, their role in nature, and how humans use them, all explained in a way that’s easy to understand. The text and illustrations work really well together, making it a great and engaging read for young readers while teaching them all about the fascinating world of mushrooms.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pauline Payen, and Storey Publishing for an eARC.

Very informative and surprisingly technical for a children's book. Everything was well illustrated and explained. And this book covers a broad spectrum of information about mushrooms—everything from their grown and composition to all the ways that mushrooms are used, both by nature and by humans.

Mushrooms are...not my thing. I don't like to eat them, I wouldn't want to forage for them, and they kind of weird me out in general. So it is high praise to say that reading this book was delightful, and may have even warmed me up to mushrooms a little bit.

This nonfiction picture book packs a lot of information into a fairly concise, and very beautifully illustrated package. The lively, busy art style is well-suited to the detailed spreads depicting plants, animals, and mushrooms both above and belowground; many pages have text chunked around the page near relevant areas of the illustration, DK Eyewitness style. The depictions of mushrooms in this art style are cute and pleasant to look at, yet detailed enough to include many realistic characteristics useful for identification.

This is a lovely title which will engage young readers and teach them many fascinating things about mushrooms--I knew some already, like how they can connect to tree root systems underground and aid in communication and resource sharing, but I learned much more than I did previously.

Using a distinct, high-contrast illustration style, this children's book included easy-to-understand writing that gives an introduction to mushrooms for kids ages 4 to 100. It included information that even I didn't know before reading the book, like the fact that lichen is considered a fungi, and that usually the majority of mushroom parts are actually underground (called the mycelia.)
I also found it really interesting that the book explained how mushrooms and trees can help each other in their ecosystems. I also appreciated that the book included information on how to safely forage for mushrooms and examples of common mushrooms (poisonous and not!) at the end.

Gorgeous book with lots of interesting facts about mushrooms.
Split between general information and then named examples towards the end of the book, I felt this balanced the amount of information given just right to inform but not overwhelm. The illustrations are beautiful and it’s a lovely book to add to your nature shelves.

Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it. Thank you for this advance reading copy!