Perfectly Peculiar Plants

I learned a lot reading this book. Combine that with teh gorgeous colors, I think children would love us reading this together. I did not like how some of the teh pages were inverted though; made it hard to read the ARC.

Interesting selection, vivid illustrations, brief explanations and facts. I think many will enjoy this as a resource.

Plants with ant 🐜 farms and fungi growing in their roots. Succulents that mimic stones. Toilet shaped leaves that encourage tree shrews to poop inside. Plants chemically signaling about aphid attacks.

Chris Thorogood’s stunning cut-paper non-fiction picture book, depicts plants so bizarre they make any self-respecting sci-fi or fantasy writer green with envy. (See what I did, there?)

I read it with my seven-year-old weird science enthusiast. While he and I were riveted, we kept turning to Google pics of these real-live weird plants.

The brilliantly-colored illustrations are gorgeous to put it mildly; but I can’t help but think even inset photographs would have grounded the reader and added more depth to the fanciful nature of the text.

I absolutely loved the artwork in this book. Every illustration is gorgeous. However, I'm not sure that the artwork and the text really go together. I think the artwork would be great with a fictional story. The text is quite dense at times and would work better in a traditional science style book layout with photos and fun fact inserts.

Perfectly Peculiar Plants written by Chris Thorogood, and illustrated by Catell Ronca, looks at a number if unusual plants from all over the world. From giant waterlillies, to air plants, to dead horse arum, each plant gets a two page spread listing neat facts, as well as giving the name in English and Latin. There were three or four additional sections that addressed how plants get energy, how they move, and different categories, like symbiotic, parasitical, or carnivorous. Overall, both my cubs and I liked this book. I don't much care for the art, though my cubs enjoyed it. Perfect for the child who enjoyed nature and botany.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Each spread introduces a different plant, in a close-up, vibrant images focusing on the extraordinary and unexpected features. Featuring poisonous plants and having special symbiotic relationship with animals or other plants. Narrative touches several areas of biology that is fascinating for the young readers: chemical messages sent out by plants, energy and nutrients of plants, plant-animal symbiosis, protecting habitats of plants.