Barely six months ago, I was trying to get my son to understand the role of pollinators. These days, he routinely marvels at the bees buzzing around the flowers at the bus stop nearest our house. The other day, he borrowed my phone to take a picture of the bees.

Did you know that this phenomenon is known as ‘buzz pollination’? I didn’t know until I read this fascinating book “The Great Pollination Investigation”. Published in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, it is a treasure trove of all things pollination. My son and I feasted our eyes on the vibrant diagrams and eagerly opened the flaps to read the information concealed underneath. The diagrams are intricate and accelerate my knowledge of pollination. Yet they are presented in digestible bite-sized chunks that sustain my attention. I learnt that the ruffed lemur in Madagascar pollinated the flowers of the traveller’s palm. Other interesting facts include the long tongue of the Wallace sphinx moth (28 centimeters) and the various cells inside a pollen grain. Detailed yet accessible - Deborah Hocking has maintained the balancing act delicately.

Given that Primary 5 pupils plant tomato plants, I was also thrilled to come across fun facts about this plant. How they engage in self-pollination and how they like to climb. Filled my son’s brain with these facts because who knows? He might grow up to become a farmer in the future.