Quark Chronicles: Botany – the First in a Series of Science Studies

I have a few products from Barefoot Meandering to review, and since I think everyone knows how much we love science here, it was natural to start with The Quark Chronicles: Botany by Ernest DeVore. If you can imagine a Life of Fred story-style approach, with botany as the topic, that’s what you’ll find here. It’s well suited to a 5th-6th grade reading level, and is a blast to read.

The story centers around four kids who were kidnapped from earth by space pirates, taken aboard a living ship and escaped through a wormhole. Their adventures take them through all sorts of trouble, and fun, while trying to find their way home. From finding seeds to grow a garden in the cargo bay of the living, talking ship known as “Auntie”, to fighting more space pirates, and helping a sentient tree pollinate, the action doesn’t stop – and neither does the learning!

The book has 18 chapters, all covering a different topic within botany, seed propagation, parts of a plant, types of plants, and more. This could easily be a one semester science study, and there is one more bonus: it’s worldview-neutral. Anyone, regardless of religion, can feel comfortable using it in their homeschool. There is also a set of notebooking pages available to purchase that help solidify knowledge gained with suggested reading, writing exercises, and more.

Daniel, my plant loving twin loves having this read to him, he’s not quite ready to read it on his own, but adores the stories and things he’s learning about plants. David, although he isn’t as in love with plants, still loves it and loves to learn this way. While we received this at no cost for review, I suspect I may have to purchase a print copy, knowing how they love real books!

We may be a little biased because of our love for science, but the boys can spot a cheesy story line a mile away, and I highly recommend this to families seeking a break from stale science books, or anyone who loves a good story. The Quark Chronicles: Botany is available through Amazon, and runs about $15.

Disclaimer: This book were given to us at no charge in exchange for our honest opinions, we have endeavored to be fully honest and thorough in the review. We are NOT required to give a positive review. There are affiliate links which pay us a small commission on purchases of items when using those links, but they do not affect the cost of the products you purchase. See our full disclosure policy.