Golden Flowers of the Sun

About the Book

Helen Ross Russell has published – just before her 94th birthday -- a stunning pictographic history of “the most abundant and widely distributed wild plant in the temperate zones of the world”. Golden Flowers of the Sun: Dandelion, charms the reader with brilliantly colored, bold, spirited illustrations by MJ McFalls and the unfolding story of how the dandelion traveled the world.

The text is fresh and full of praise for this familiar plant, like a conversation with Dr. Russell, a brilliant naturalist, award-winning author and celebrated science educator. Dandelion is a good read silently or aloud and, with some explanation, is accessible to children eight years and up. As a pictographic history, young and old alike will enjoy it.

In a few places, the flow of text is uncertain, out of order or abrupt, like a conversation with an elder (or an editor’s oversight). Although a leap in placement – page 20 and 21 were intended to follow pages 22 and 23 – there is an exquisite description of a “floret” and of the opening and closing of a dandelion flower responding to day and night. Here is botanical writing at its best. Likewise, the painterly illustration of flower bud to scattering seed, page 28, is as skillful as it is joyful.

"An artful combination of traveling around the world and traveling through history," comments Michele Sola, Director of Manhattan Country School where Helen Ross Russell taught for three decades and pioneered using her vast historical and cultural knowledge of plants with faculty and young children.

Dr. Russell’s other titles include: Ten-Minute Field Trips, City Critters, Winter Search Party, and Journey Through the Twentieth Century.

Judy Isacoff, M.A., is an environmental arts consultant and writer. She may be reached at environmentarts@taconic.net and Manhattan Country School, 7 East 96 Street, NYC.

About the Author

My earliest memories are discovering plants, animals and arrowheads with parents who answered questions with, "Let's look", at eight writing books for my dolls, in High School editing the school paper. I was one of 2 women earning a PhD. in Nature Study at Cornell in 1949. At Fitchburg State I taught lab and field courses, became department head and Academic Dean. Resigned when my husband was admitted to Columbia University. Wrote and free-lanced: teaching in 28 states, 5 countries. In 1970 wrote Ten Minute Field Trips, Using the School Grounds to Teach. Translated into Russian for use in schools with no environmental program.