World of Mushrooms takes on the expansive subject of mushrooms, and mycology. It covers the fascinating subject of fungi, what they are, how they’re structured, and what they do. The illustrations by themselves are really cute and engaging; but, unfortunately the style doesn’t work for this book - it is too cartoonish. It seems somehow both too cluttered, and too vague. The subject really needs a realistic style to the mushroom characteristics and examples of what is being discussed. Without fitting images it was really difficult to digest the information in a retainable way.

I really love the concept of this book; but, it feels like it is trying to cover too much information that ends up becoming repetitive, rather than focusing on a handful of specific fungi. The basic anatomy of a mushroom ends up being repeated a lot, but there isn’t much else given, information-wise.

World of Mushrooms is a whimsically illustrated and informative exploration of the world of fungi. This book explores the diversity and wonders of mushrooms, from their unique shapes and colors to their ecological importance.

What I particularly love about this book is how it combines a cute illustrative style that feels like I’m reading someone’s nature journal with engaging facts. I learned so much about mushrooms! Did you know that the largest living thing in the world known today is a mushroom??? There’s one that extends into the soil by the size of 1500 football fields! Mind blown!

My only complaint is that I wish there were more mushrooms featured! I do think that it has potential to go more in depth. Overall, I feel that this a delightful read for any fan of mushrooms.

Loved this adorable little book. I love mushrooms so I had to give it a try. I actually learned some things about mushrooms and found the pictures to identify them were quite good. This was super cute, the illustrations were great overall and I think it gives off just enough information for kids to learn without being too overwhelming. My nieces and nephew would love this book!

Thank you Storey Publishing for providing me an ARC copy via NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I LOVE MUSHROOMS 🍄! I’m an artist that happens to draw lots of mushrooms. Obviously I jumped at the chance to read this book. The illustrations are cute and and lends to the subject very well. This one is packed with information. Most importantly, it provides information to make sure any mushroom hunters are safe with the addition of common mushrooms and whether or not they can be dangerous.

Loved the illustrations of the book!!! The colour pages make it inviting and easy to read. The information was presented clearly and accessibly. This is not my usual read, I usually gravitate towards fantasy books, but I really enjoyed learning/reading about mushrooms. I look forward to reading more from Payen.

This was so cute and interesting to read. The illustrations were adorable. I won’t lie though mushrooms sort of give me the heebie jeebies while simultaneously being so interesting.

World of Mushrooms is a cute and fun introduction to fungus. The illustrations are engaging, but at times, the text tends to blend into them, which can make it difficult to read. This will be of interest to budding naturalists and seekers of weird but true facts, but doesn't stand out amongst recent mushroom themed publications.

This book is packed wonderful, detailed and colourful illustrations of mushroom with interesting snippets of information. A fantastic way to prep young and old for a mushroom foraging trip. ( Disclaimer: Having an experienced guide accompanying you is super important, because as the book says, often the appearances of some species are similar and looks can be deceiving. ) A fantastic primer about mushrooms.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This book is for anyone wanting to learn more about the complexities of fungi. I loved the illustrations, and the writing was easy to follow - not too technical. It's a very informative book with useful information (such as recognizing edible mushrooms) as well as "fun facts".

Such a great informative text that builds on an area that is clearly becoming more popular with younger readers with the success of books like Mushrooms Know. Although there are similarities with that text, I love how this one goes deeper into the science of mushrooms, the key features of them and how vital they are to all animals including humans. The text is presented in short snippets but it doesn’t shy away from using the correct terminology as that’s what children want. It is also spread out across pages which is what children want. The images give that further context rather than just showing what has been said in the text as do the captions. The author has also been clever with how and when they use formal and informal tones to engage with the reader and inspire further investigations. There are so many avenues to explore in the classroom using this book which will undoubtedly lead to a rich understanding and a great range of skills being developed.

Fantastic and informative book on mushrooms. As an amateur mycologist and former mushroom farmer, I was surprised that a children's book contained information on fungi that I did not previously know! Very well laid out and well illustrated.

We LOVED this one and read it just at the right time (during our study of earthworms and underground fun!). The kids have been obsessed with mushrooms since we found a few in our yard last year and so this was a fascinating and engaging way to learn more about them. The older 2 (7 and 3) were absolutely glued to the pages as we read through all the facts and information. The illustrations are cute and there's plenty to look at and learn on each page.

A few minor formatting things that were a little weird (placement of text on page) but not enough to turn us off from the overall book. Definitely best as a physical book as there are a few double page spreads that would benefit from being able to lay the book flat and pore over the whole thing. Definitely will look into buying the physical version for our Non-Fiction shelves!

ARC from NetGalley.

What a great book packed full of information about mushrooms! I found it very informative and the illustrations to be playful. My only issue was readability, the pages were quite packed full of images and text that could be hard to read. I do think this book would be great for older kids who are interested in mushrooms and nature.

Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the advanced copy!

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.