10 Plants that Shook the World

Dig up the amazing stories of 10 plants that have transformed the world.

Plants have caused wars, cured disease, and made possible such things as mass transportation and information sharing. In this brightly illustrated book, author Gillian Richardson takes the historical facts surrounding 10 plants from around the world and turns them into exciting stories that provide enough information for projects with enough storytelling for a good read.

Discover how:
-Countries went to war to control trade centers for pepper.
-Europeans in the 1600s cut down rainforests in the West Indies to grow sugar, contributing to soil erosion.
-Cotton production improved the livelihoods of a few, but caused unthinkable suffering for many more.
-Corn fueled new technologies and turns up in thousands of everyday products.
-The discovery of rubber revolutionized transportation, making bike and car tires possible.

Young readers will also learn about a tree called chincona, which gave us quinine, a powerful drug that has saved countless lives from the ravages of malaria. They will read about how an ordinary grass called papyrus made it possible to share knowledge through writing. And they will meet the explorers, smugglers, and profiteers who turned tea, sugarcane, cacao, and potatoes into big business.

The 10 plants in this book have been agents for profound changes in the world, both good and bad. Through vibrant illustrations and astonishing facts, readers will discover that without them, our lives today would be vastly different.