The Deadliest: Flower

by Eleanor Spicer Rice, Max Temescu (illustrator)

Six flowering plants face off against the Death-O-Meter to determine which will be crowned the deadliest of them all.


Meet the deadliest flowering plants on Earth.


Whose toxin is the most potent? Is it the beautiful belladonna? The eye-catching angel’s trumpet? The infamous wolfsbane? Or someone else?


The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for poisonous plant interactions (Do not eat! Do not pick!) and introduces the contestants.


This tale of blooms and doom invites readers into the world of deadly flowering where they grow, how they’re used—and what could happen if you ever come into contact with one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing why they’re important to the places they live—and why we should protect them. With humor, accessible science, and a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, The Flower shows that even the deadliest things in nature may not be as scary as we think.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

Eleanor Spicer Rice is an award-winning author with a Ph.D. in entomology. She studied ants and how they shape the natural world. After publishing six books on ants, she now writes books for children about the amazing life with which we spend our days.

​Eleanor is also the senior science editor at Verdant Word, a science communication company she co-founded with Robin Sutton Anders.

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, book 3 in this series remains a 5***** read for me! Well written, well conceptualized, beautifully illustrated and utterly educational, author Eleanor Spicer Rice turns her attention to the deadliest flowers in the world. Her book entertains us, humors us, and all the while teaching us valuable lessons about these toxic flowers. She uses a game show format where she introduces each flower and then one by one tells us what each one is in the running for the title of The Deadliest. This is one of the best and innovative science series for kids, and adults alike. Perfect for schools, or birthday or Christmas presents, the books colors and illustrations assists in the enjoyment of this book!

[Abigail Beckwith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I first saw this book at work one day, just randomly left open on the computer. And if you know me, you know I looooove flowers. I also have an odd obsession with the pretty but poisonous ones. So naturally a book titled "The Deadliest: Flower" caught my attention. The author is Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, and the illustrator is Max Temescu.

["Six flowering plants face off against the Death-O-Meter to determine which will be crowned the deadliest of them all.

Meet the deadliest flowering plants on Earth.

Whose toxin is the most potent? Is it the beautiful belladonna? The eye-catching angel’s trumpet? The infamous wolfsbane? Or someone else?

The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for poisonous plant interactions (Do not eat! Do not pick!) and introduces the contestants.

This tale of blooms and doom invites readers into the world of deadly flowering where they grow, how they’re used—and what could happen if you ever come into contact with one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing why they’re important to the places they live—and why we should protect them. With humor, accessible science, and a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, The Flower shows that even the deadliest things in nature may not be as scary as we think."]

This book was cute and quirky and fun while being super informative. It held tons of information, but it was also created with it's target audience in mind (children), so it wasn't bogged down with too many details. The illustrations were colorful and eye catching and a little punny.

I'd be interested in more of the series (but depending on how creepy and snakes and spiders books are...maybe not).

I miiight have a few of these deadliest flowers tattooed on my leg, just saying.

#thedeadliestflower #thedeadliest #thedeadliestseries #dreleanorspicerrice #maxtemescu #books #childrensnonfiction #childrensbooks #childrenspicturebooks #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

[LindaPf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for budding horticulturists and gardeners, and any young person curious about the natural world around them!

We visited the UK’s famous Alnick Castle’s Poison Garden last year and we came away with “Wow! Some of those plants are in our backyard! And there’s fields of poison hemlock at the local park!” This graphic book selects five of the deadliest flowers (there are far more) with a terrific tagline “Which Bloom spells Doom?” With incredible illustrations and frightening statistics, you’ll learn about which plants kill one or ten people a year and which one kills millions. No spoilers — read and share this thoughtful guidebook with the kids — especially if you’re cultivating one of the culprits. 5 stars!

Thank you to Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DEADLIEST: FLOWER is an entertaining and fact-filled analysis of six highly dangerous flowers. Basic information is provided about each plant along with descriptions about how humans have used the plant over time and what would happen if you came into contact with or (gasp!) ingested the plant. The plant that is identified as the deadliest may come as a surprise to readers. In addition to the thorough analysis of the plants, the author clearly explains why readers should not ingest wild plants and why it is important that they continue to be allowed to be grown despite their dangers. With vivid illustrations and dramatic but informative text, this will capture the attention and interest of many elementary readers.

[Krista Galley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super interesting and informative! I especially liked the game show type presentation (and I was pleasantly surprised by the “winner”!)

The book is in a hybrid graphic novel/plain text format, which makes it very appealing to a wide audience. My children will possibly find it a bit anxiety-producing, and for me personally some of it was not my type of humor…but I will definitely be telling my pre-teen and teenage nephews about it! I think they’ll love it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Erica Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun and engaging read. This book is filled with interesting and informative plant science. The format really ropes you in, making you eager to learn which flower is the deadliest. And I love that it didn't shy away from discussing the deadly symptoms that these plants cause, when ingested.

Approachable and intriguing. This is definitely one of the more interesting science books that I've read.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my child was in 3rd grade they were obsessed with the Who Would Win books. This a graphic novel version of deadliest attacker based on plants. I was so excited to read it and learn more about some of the world's deadliest plants. The graphics were super engaging and the writing voice was informative but still fun. Thank you to Norton Young Readers and Netgalley for sharing a digital ARC. All thoughts are my own.

[Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley ARC - This is a colorful, well-illustrated journey into the world of a few deadly flower species, though background info about other flowering plants is sprinkled in as well. I think it did a good job of being entertaining and creating fun narratives around the history and biology being presented.

[Ember Air · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Deadliest: Flower introduces readers to ten deadly flowers in a game-show styled book that is visually engaging and full of information on our Deadliest Flower Contestants. By the end of the story, only one flower can win the title of Deadliest and children will be eager to learn the answer.

[Thea DeLoreto · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great one!

If you have a science or fact loving kid, these are a must read.
We really love the plant one!

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to deadly flowers for young readers! Illustrations were bright and colorful. Information was broken down into digestible (ha!) sections.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, and Netgalley for the digital arc.
Six flowers compete to be honored with the title Deadliest Flower according to the Death-o-Meter!Shorter than the Science Comics graphic novel series, the titles in the “Deadliest” series will appeal to readers looking for information in a concise format. “Deadliest Flower” will be a popular addition to any collection or display featuring deadly plants.
#TheDeadliestFlower