The Secret World of Plants: Tales of More Than 100 Remarkable Flowers, Trees, and Seeds

by Ben Hoare

A timeless treasury of more than 100 stories from the incredible kingdom of plants, told by author and nature expert Ben Hoare.

Plants are found almost everywhere on Earth, but to many people their lives are a mystery. Learn how seagrass flowers underwater, how the Venus flytrap counts to make sure it catches its prey, and why some tulips used to cost more than a house! This fascinating book for kids explores the vast plant kingdom and explains how plants work, as well as the weird and wonderful relationships they have with animals.

Children can discover the secrets of more than 100 amazing plants in this treasury of fascinating flora, as well as the essentials of plant science, including photosynthesis, pollination, and germination. Each species is shown with remarkable photography and beautiful illustrations, all brought to life by Ben Hoare's writing, filled with charm and infectious enthusiasm.

This nature book for children ages 7+ features:

- An eye-catching holographic cover, gilded edges, and stunning photography and illustrations, making it the perfect gift
- A wide range of incredible plants and trees from all around the world
- Illustrated diagrams to support definitions of different types of plants
- Introductory reference pages that explain key topics such as photosynthesis

This book is a must for any child interested in the natural world and the plants that grow in it. Plants provide us with food, fuel, and medicine, and without them, life as we know it would not exist. From orchids that grow vanilla pods to leaves that look like stones, and from bamboo that can be made into clothes to moss that soaks up vast amounts of carbon dioxide, plants shape our world in an endless variety of ways.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Reference, Plants, Childrens, Gardening

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Ben Hoare is an author and editor who specializes in natural history. He has written or contributed to more than 40 reference books. His work has also appeared in BBC Wildlife and Birdwatch magazines and on BBC websites. He is a Fellow of the Zoological Society in London and presents regular talks and lectures at the Natural History Museum, London.

Reviews

[Elyssia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking at pictures of trees and flowers healed me.

🌳🪾🌲🪵🥑🫒🌵☘️🌾🌽🌺🪷🌸🍓

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent treasury book from Ben Hoare and DK! The focus of this book on plants is wonderful and combination of nonfiction narrative plus vibrant illustrations and real photographs is just so good.

I'll say again that I really appreciate the inclusion of real photographs of plants alongside the illustrations. It makes this nonfiction book have staying power and something a wide range of children can visit and appreciate. This book contains a ton of information and lots of pages, but it is nicely organized and indexed so children can visit this as a part of science learning or peruse on their own with ease.

The book is organized into different sections with about a dozen or so examples of each. After the introductory section where we learn what makes a plant, the book dives into (1) leaves, (2) stems and trunks, (3) roots and bulbs, (4) flowers, (5) fruits and cones, and (6) seeds and nuts.

This book is overall just rich with information and learning but executed in such a beautiful way. The book is stunning and contains rich learning within its pages.

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via DK Publishing. Opinions are my own.

[Jona · Rating 2 out of 5]

De inhoud is best wel interessant, maar nu ook weer niet in die mate dat ik tijdens het lezen vaak gestopt ben om even een leuk weetje of een merkwaardig detail te delen met huisgenoten.

Elke plant krijgt 2 bladzijden voor uitleg en illustraties. Qua lay-out vind ik het een heel vreemde keuze om regelmatig de titel en hoofdtekst op de rechterbladzijde te zetten. Dit vond ik niet aangenaam om te lezen.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful, and there are so many fascinating things in here for kids to learn! Knowing that this is aimed at kids, not adults, had me excited to dive into this. It’s such a gorgeous and easy to flip through book.

While it doesn’t have any basics of botany, it has a lot of intriguing random facts about the plants inside. It’s organized in a way that makes sense too!

If you have kids interested in plants, I highly recommend!!

[Meg Dunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent! I found this among books for children, but it is fascinating for adults as well. Text is well-written with just the right amount of information to spark interest and curiosity. Beautifully illustrated. Lovely photographs make the pages come alive. This book is gorgeous, a pleasure to read.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have ever read. The book is thorough in its breakdown of plant species and all its parts. There are tidbits of what plants have inspired man to create. We will never know all there is to know about the plant life of Earth! We cannot survive without the plant world.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this on the pick-up shelf for someone else at the library and decided to get a copy for myself. Very informative and simply explained.

[Tamsin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Clear. Well illustrated. Informative & Of interest to all ages

[Jordan]

Read with Jack :)

[Deepa Ranganathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, very well-told.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book all about plants. You can never go wrong with a DK book. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this aloud to my youngest as part of his science curriculum.

[Frank Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es ist eine interessante Idee, wie in diesem Buch die große Welt der Pflanzen dem jungen und nicht mehr ganz so jungem Leser näher gebracht werden. Ben Hoare stellt die Pflanzen nicht ihrer Systematik entsprechend vor, sondern hat sich eigene Gruppierungen ausgedacht, wo er Pflanzen zuordnet, die deses Merkmal seiner Meinung nach ausgeprägt vorweisen.

Am besten erkläre ich diese Zuordnungen an konkreten Beispielen. Seine Gruppen sind Blätter, Stängel und Stämme, Wurzeln und Zwiebeln, Blüten, Früchte und Zapfen sowie Samen und Nüsse. Bei den Blättern stellt er dann Pflanzen vor, die mit ihren Blättern besonders auffallen (wie z.B. Moose, Farne oder die Venusfliegenfalle) oder die besondere Blätter haben, wie die Mimose, die die Blätter schließen kann. Wenn eine Pflanze vorgestellt wird, dann geht der Autor natürlich auch auf dessen Früchte, Wurzeln oder sonstige Besonderheiten ein. Die Pflanze wird also in Gänze vorgestellt oder aber es werden allgemeine Besonderheiten erklärt).

Dargestellt werden die Pflanzen in einer Mischung aus Texten und Fotos. Und wenn die Fotos nicht ausreichen, fügen sich zahlreiche Illustrationen von Kaley McKean in das Gesamtbild ein. Ich finde diese Mischung sehr gelungen, denn so entsteht eine schlüssige Gesamtkomposition, die viel über einzelne Pflanzen aber auch viel über die gesamte Pflanzenwelt erzählt.

Die Texte sind größtenteils an Kinder gerichtet und entsprechend einfach aufgebaut. Und wenn doch mal ein schwieriges Wort dabei ist, hilft ein Glossar am Ende des Buchs, wo schwierige Begriffe einfach erklärt werden.

Fazit
In meinen Augen können Kinder (und ihre Eltern und Großeltern) mit diesem Buch sehr viel Wissen über die Pflanzen erlangen. Mir hat die Gruppierung jenseits der Systematik sehr gefallen, denn so wurden tatsächlich viele besondere Pflanzen zusammengestellt, anhand derer die Besonderheiten anschaulich erklärt werden.

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret World of Plants is, as you have likely come to expect from DK, a stunning publication. Not only is it rich in its breadth and depth of coverage but it is absolutely brimming with facts, provided by Ben Hoare, all of which are simply, evocatively, and intelligently illustrated by Kaley McKean.

Ben Hoare, the books author, takes us on an exploration of the vast world of the plant kingdom where we meet plants from every continent of the earth, learn how they work, what they do and how they relate to the animal world – this is a book about nature in a whole new way with fascinating and unusual comparisons and insights. Plants, we know, are all around us, they fill our earth with oxygen, they put water into our skies, and they help to maintain a control over the climate. They are also useful in our daily lives, as food, fuel, medicine and even finding themselves used in clothing. Did you realize that the world of plants was such a versatile one? I have to say I didn’t though now I do!

For such simple (in some ways) organisms, plants do an awful lot for us which we take for granted, they are a vital part of the ecosystem that we call life, but they are in danger and this book not only sets out to tell us more about them but also to help us think about what we can do to help and protect them. Breaking down the story of plants into their constituent parts we begin with a detailed overview of the leaves of no less than 15 different varieties. This is followed by detailed insights into ‘Stems and Trunks’; ‘Roots and Bulbs’; ‘Fruits and Cones’ and finally ‘Seeds and Nuts.’ With so much detail covered this book is a veritable treasure trove of facts, figures and fascination.

I don’t think I will ever look at a plant in the same way again as I will now always have an innate curiosity about the way in which it works within our ecosystems, and I will be returning to this book over and over again to keep learning.

[Chantal HK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce qui frappe dès les premières pages, c'est la qualité des images. Autant les photos que les illustrations, tant de détails, c'est magnifique. Ensuite, l'approche est vraiment intéressante. À travers 100 plates choisies, on nous présente toute la biodiversité du monde végétal, avec des spécimens uniques, qui sortent du lot, de partout à travers le globe. De courtes rubriques, rien d'assommant. Énormément d'information présentée d'une manière stimulante et engageante. On a le goût d'en découvrir encore plus.