LEGO Botanical Almanac: A Field Guide to Brick-Built Blooms

by Lego, Nina Pace (Illustrator)

Botany in bricks! Take a closer look: This intricately illustrated compendium of flowers and plants has a LEGO® twist—the blooms are built of bricks! Inspired by the bestselling LEGO Botanical sets, this almanac combines floral facts, hand-drawn botanical illustrations, and exclusive stories from the LEGO set designers themselves, plus a bonus collectible flower print to display.

Inspired by scientific drawings of flora, the beauty is in the details of the singular LEGO® Botanical Almanac . Each page presents a deeper look into a stunning LEGO bloom, succulent, or plant—from garden varietals to the exquisitely exotic. Like traditional botany illustrations, these LEGO flowers are presented as stunning works of art and detailed dissections of real species. Dip in and out to learn about each plant and discover behind-the-scenes details of how LEGO set designers turned iconic bricks into captivating natural forms. A perfect gift for LEGO fans and unlike any other book before it, the LEGO® Botanical Almanac highlights where art meets science and building meets play—a true celebration of the boundless creativity of the LEGO brand.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2024 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIBLE PRINT Tucked in the back of the book is a removable print featuring a hand-drawn illustration from the book. A must-have for LEGO collectors, this print is exclusive to the book. Frame and hang it on your wall to admire—and spark your creative thinking—every day.
 
UNIQUE FAN With beautifully rendered art and a sophisticated package that mimics a true scientific work, this almanac is an unexpected gift for the LEGO fan that has everything. Share the LEGO fandom with this surprisingly beautiful keepsake.
 
A BRAND YOU LOVE AND For decades, the LEGO brand has inspired billions of people to stretch the limits of their imaginations and explore the power of play. Discover a new side of the LEGO universe with this beautiful LEGO book.

EXCLUSIVES FROM THE LEGO The book features behind-the-scenes interviews, stories, and fun facts, offering a unique window into the creative process of developing a LEGO set.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

112 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[ink drinking lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was delightful.
However, I thought it would have instructions on a new flower/flowers.
But it was just a history, and informational interview with the people who designed the flowers I already built.

It was a fun read but not what I was expecting.

Definitely a coffee table book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a little more insight on the different pieces used and the inspiration for the kits, but this was about the same level of detail as reading the little booklets that come with the kits. however, it is very beautifully presented and the interviews were nice!

[Tara Blais Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 interesting.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a book on how to build "more flowers" out of legos, instead this is a book in which the fake flowers that I already own in toto are discussed botanically, then there is a short interview with the genius who "invented" them, and that's it. As a Lego fan it's still okay, but I admit to an underlying disappointment.

Mi aspettavo un libro su come costruire "altri fiori" di lego, invece questo é un libro in cui i finti fiori che io giá posseggo in toto, vengono discussi botanicamente, poi c'é una breve intervista al genio che li ha "inventati" e questo é quanto. Da lego fan va bene lo stesso, ma ammetto una delusione di fondo.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The Lego Botanicals is a cute and pretty book you could use as a coffee table book but it reads a bit too much like an advertisement for my taste. Still, it is a nice thing to browse, especially if you are a fan.

The main bulk of the book is spent going through each flower/plant that currently has a Lego variant. Each gets its own 2-pager, with excellent photography and a page of detail on the actual plant. I was surprised that there are no pictures of the actual plant though - I would have liked to see how close the Lego variant is to the real thing.

This list is peppered with designer interviews similar to the ones that come with larger Lego sets. These are always nice and while they often talk more of the designer rather than the actual design in question they give a nice insight into how Lego sets are created. My favorite is on the designer for the Bonsai, though probably colored by the fact that the Bonsai is also my favorite set in this series. There's also a nice set of early designs shown for the Bonsai, which we don't get for any other set.

All in all, this reads like a product catalogue that at one point in time you might have imagined being distributed for free. For a fan this may still be worth it, given that it covers the whole range and gives a bit of insight into the real plans they depict. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

When did I start building Lego sets? When I saw my first "botanical" set with such pretty flowers. I loved them since they last forever; I cannot kill them with my brown thumb. Of course, I had to read this book.

The book has descriptions of the flowers and some interesting facts that aren't in the guide that comes with the sets. It also has interviews with the designers of the sets. I enjoyed both. I stayed up past my bedtime (again) to finish the book.

So why not five stars? I wish it had some suggestions about arrangements. It mentioned that there were alternative ways of building the plants; I wished for photos.

But overall, I am happy I have the book. As they add more flowers and plants to the collections, I hope for a second volume.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m biased in favor of this book. I’m a big fan of the LEGO Botanical sets. They are fun and beautiful builds.

The book looks at the first sets in this ongoing series. There are beautiful drawings and photos of the flowers with a page of info about the real world flower behind the LEGO build. It also has interviews with the set designers.

It’s a great behind the build look at some of my favorite LEGO sets.

[Rae V · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool! I love not only the description for each, and insight to the LEGO build themselves, but also the interviews and backgrounds on some of the builders who contributed to the botanical sets.

My husband and I are trying to make our way through each and every botanical set in combination of his love of LEGO, and mine of flora 🥰 We loved going through the pages to see all the ones we’ve built, and the few (right now) we haven’t done yet!

5⭐️
Happy reading ♥️📚

[Charlotte Biddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little book on Lego flowers with stunning illustrations. Liked the interviews with Lego designers and the information about each flower. Also the quirky Lego parts used in the collection like frogs and pirate hats. Great relaxing read, hope they do another one now there are more botanical sets and maybe one for the art sets too. 4.5 stars rounded up

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that each plant entry would include all of the detailed information from each instruction book, but that was not the case. I *do* hope that they publish a second volume to cover all of the new botanical sets that they have since released!

[Stacey Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the botanical series from Lego. This was a fun history with beautiful illustrations.
If you need instructions for any, go to Lego here- https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/bu...

[John M Pogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

LEGO ART

Lego has done it again. Showing how a simple brick system can create such intricate sculptures. Nice Part Usage (NPR) and Studs Not on Top (SNOT) are techniques that are wonderfully used in Botanicals. What will it inspire you to make?

[Maria]

Great book for any Lego lover but an exceptional book for the lover of Lego flowers, great Mother's Day gift.

[Fiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, my favorite parts were the tidbits on the creative reuse of existing lego parts for flower designs. All my love for the frog bonzai!

[Dark Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not at all what I hoped for. Normally they show you how to build the items but this was just a bad botany book

[A I S U · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re really into LEGO, nature and reading this is an easy read-through! It’s fun to read things about the LEGO sets you’ve build. It gives more information about the flowers, but also some LEGO-developer stories.

Overall easy to read mini book to enjoy.