Fungi of Aotearoa

‘The fungi of Aotearoa are wonderful, wacky, and downright weird.’ — Liv Sisson, Fungi of Aotearoa

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to 22,000 species of fungi, all shapes, sizes and colours of the rainbow, and Liv Sisson is on a mission to show Kiwi kids how to find and ID them, sharing wild and enlightening facts about these intriguing organisms.

No matter where in the country you live, little ‘fun guys’ are hiding in plain sight and once you know what to look for, you can’t stop spotting them! With this guidebook tucked into your backpack, you can take a walk in the bush, or out on the farm, or even in your own back yard, to discover and ID the life forms going about their mycological business on nature’s world wide web, right under our noses.

With eye-catching colour illustrations and captions throughout, you’ll learn all about what fungi actually are, the foods they eat (and did you know some fungi prey on insects?), how they reproduce and the big role they play in the health of our ecosystem. You’ll also learn which fungi are poisonous and how not to mistake them for friendly lookalikes. And there are also some activities designed by Liv to help you with your fungi-spotting quest!