16th April The Day of the Mushroom

The Day of the Mushroom is an American celebration and it is celebrated on April 16th and honours all things fungi. The fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, which can grow anywhere above ground, on soil, or its food source, is known as a mushroom. International Mushroom Day occurs on October 15th.This day originated in Australia, where it is dedicated to mushroom farmers, hospitality businesses, and health professionals to celebrate all things associated with growing and eating these delicacies.

I'm writing about it today because so many beautiful informative books have been published recently which celebrate fungi and I can't wait until October to tell you about them.

My Year Two readers got very interested in fungi when learning about how trees communicate and help each other via fungi. Later when I read them Beatrix Potter Scientist  by Lindsay Metcalf we learned that Beatrix was an amateur mycologist researching mushrooms. Many of them wanted to read more and I realised how few books I could offer them. I had lots of budding mycologists it seemed! My search for books led to me purchasing:

Fungi Grow  by Maria Gianferrari & Diana Sudyka

Step into this book and discover the amazing array of mushrooms and see how they multiply. Learn how fungi heal and help humans. Explore the incredible underground fungal network that helps forests thrive.

Fungus is Among Us by Joy Keller & Erica Salcedo

You can run, but you can't hide...They're in the air you breathe. They're in the food you eat. They're on your body. Fungi are EVERYWHERE!

Humongous Fungus by Lynne Boddy & Wenjia Tang

Not quite animals and not quite plants, the mysterious kingdom of fungi is full of secret goings on.

Hello Fungi  by Nina Chakrabarti  

A fascinating world of fungi, including glow-in-dark fungi, the funky fungi that give off the strongest smell and the most colourful fungi.

These are not new but worthwhile:

 

The Mushroom Fan Club  by Elise Gravel

Combining her love of exploring nature with her talent for anthropomorphising everything, she takes us on a magical tour of the forest floor and examines a handful of her favourite alien specimens up close. 

We Are Fungi  by Christine Nishiyama

This genre-bending picture book tells dual stories side-by-side. A factually accurate story is told through words, while a more mysterious story is told through pictures, following the journey of a curious young girl as she ventures into the woods to hunt for mushrooms.

And two we don't have but I would like to see:

Funky Fungi  by Alisha Gabriel

They live in the coldest corner of Antarctica and on hot, sandy desert dunes. They’re in the air you breathe and the food you eat. But fungi are more than pizza toppings.

 Mushrooms Know  by Kallie George and Sara Gillingham

Fungi can teach us: that small can be mighty, being unique is a reason to celebrate — and staying connected is key.

If you'd like some stories that feature mushrooms, look for these:

• Two for Me, One for You by Jorg Muhle

• Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmerman and 

• Mushroom Lullaby  by Kenneth Kraegel

• Super Happy Magic Forest: The Humongous Fungus by Matty Long

• A Better Best Friend  by Olivier Tallec

• Gustav is Missing by Andrea Zuill