Into the Wild is a joy to read for any word nerd who are green thumbers, animal lovers, and nature seekers. But the history nerd in me also enjoyed the origins of the hows and whys of naming plants and animals back in the day. The book is fascinating, interesting, and informative, but because it has an encyclopedia-esque style layout, I’d recommend leisurely reading it rather than in one or two sittings.

Thank you very much to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Into the Words is an etymological exploration of nature. It encompasses climates, flora, fauna, and everything in between, detailing the origins of the words we use to describe them.

This book is highly informative. In addition to providing etymologies for all manner of species and natural phenomena, it also contextualises them. Author Jess Zafarris doesn’t shy away from pointing out, quite directly, the colonialist and Eurocentrist influence exerted on natural science. Zafarris honours the knowledge of those whose names weren’t preserved in European studies.

Zafarris also writes with impressive wit, pre-empting the reader’s likely points of contention and humour alike. Even mythical creatures like the phoenix and dragon are given a presence on the page, and rumours/circulated myths are either confirmed or debunked quite clearly.

The illustrations in the book, masterfully drawn by Melissa Faris, are stunning to look at. They complement the pages beautifully. My personal favourite was the depiction of the tundra, which (to my delight) encompassed a full page.

The book also features the contributions of other writers, including Gabrielle Cerberville, Matt Howard, Charlotte Moore-Lambert, Lexi Natoli, Zachary Petit, and Dexter Sorenson. Each of their sections contributes meaningful, valuable additions to the existing information, enriching the book with even more fun facts and wonderful information.

Zafarris’s epilogue fully encompasses the goal we should all share: preservation. Many of these species are known to us, but many are also at risk of extinction. In learning about all the fun, odd, and even roundabout ways we’ve named these species, we can also come to know them and—hopefully—treat them as valuable friends with whom we share our precious planet.

I really enjoyed this and actually learned so many interesting things! This is perfect for any nature lover with an appreciation for animals and our planet. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early ARC in exchange for a review!

This was engaging and informative and exactly what I was craving when I read the pitch. I learned a lot and have a lot of new fun facts to break out in the future 😆

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I do enjoy nature and linguistics, so I thought this book would be for me. In a way, it is. The book reads easily, so could even be enjoyed by kids. The facts are fun, and the illustrations as well. Where I had a hard time for this book as an ARC was that it is a book I'd pick up and browse from time to time. Reading it all in one go lessened how much I enjoyed it, because it was just definition after definition.

Still, you can get all kinds of information to impress your friends. The birch tree and the relation to its color, the word 'Hawk' and its relation to a war cry, or how the orangutan is a 'person of the forest.'

All in all, a 3.5 star read rounded up for my assumption that it's just not a book to read all in one go, It would be a great book to have on your shelves at home or in your classroom.

Into the Words is truly an inspirational book for readers everywhere worrying about how to use the right words, in which contexts to use those words, and how to understand where so many words originated from. While novice readers might initially worry or feel pressure from confronting so many words and encyclopedia-worthy background information, patience and intuition will promptly point out that this book is a marvel and a reason to face the art of modern communication with optimism and enthusiasm! One can only wonder how much research has went into preparing this book, however a slow and methodical perusal through its contents can lead to hours of mirth and enjoyment!

A very detailed and educational background into the origin of the name of many many different species

I ended up giving this 4 stars, but it could've been a 5 star read as I did find it fascinating!

I’ve always loved words and where they come from, so a whole book dedicated to the origins of the names we give plants, animals, and the natural world was right up my street. There were so many moments where I’d read something and immediately want to tell someone else because it was just such a fun fact to know - and actually, I did manage to bring so many tidbits up in conversation!

It's so clear just how much research has clearly gone into this, you can tell it’s a real passion project from the author. It doesn’t just explain where words come from, but also explores how language has changed alongside our understanding of nature, history, and science. I also really appreciated the epilogue, which reflected on how our knowledge of the natural world is constantly evolving, while also serving as a reminder of how many species we’ve already lost.

I think the way the book was structured was really good - rather than being one long alphabetical list, it’s broken down into different environments before exploring the plants, animals, and other natural features found within them, which made it feel much more cohesive.

The only reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is that it’s quite a dense read. It’s very information-heavy and isn’t written in a particularly narrative or story-driven way. Instead, it’s essentially one fact after another, so I think it works much better reading a chapter or two at a time rather than trying to read it all in one go. There were also a couple of words that came up more than once, although it usually made sense because the same roots apply to different words.

Overall though, I absolutely loved learning from this book. If you’re someone who loves etymology or nature, I’d definitely recommend picking this up. Just maybe treat it as a book to dip into and savour instead!

"Into the Words" is one of those books that I can genuinely admire, even though it wasn't quite the perfect fit for my personal reading taste.

Jess Zafarris' enthusiasm for nature, animals, and language is unmistakable. Her passion radiates from every page, and she invites readers on an engaging journey through the origins of the words we use to describe the natural world. The book is filled with fascinating stories that reveal just how much history is hidden within everyday language. What I appreciated most was that this isn't simply a collection of etymological facts. Zafarris often reflects on the relationship between language, society, and the natural world, encouraging readers to think about how words shape the way we understand our environment. There is a thoughtful, sometimes philosophical layer beneath the fun facts, and I found those moments particularly engaging.

That said, I also realized that this type of nonfiction isn't entirely my preferred reading experience. While I found many of the linguistic discoveries genuinely interesting, I sometimes felt myself wanting more narrative and less encyclopedic exploration. This is very much a book to dip into over time rather than one I personally wanted to read straight through. I can absolutely see myself returning to individual chapters whenever I'm curious about a particular word or species, but reading it cover to cover wasn't quite as captivating for me.

Even so, I have a great deal of appreciation for what this book accomplishes. It's meticulously researched, written with warmth and humor, and perfectly captures the author's infectious curiosity about words and the natural world. Readers who love etymology, linguistics, or simply enjoy learning the hidden stories behind the language we use every day will likely find this an absolute delight.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

For those word lovers out there, who also have a special interest in nature, this is a perfect fit! If you’ve ever wondered about how things in the natural world are named, this book is for you!

A very entertaining read! I really enjoy linguistic history, and this is a great collection to dip into and out of for some nature-themed etymology! It does at times repeat itself, so it's probably best not read cover to cover, and at times the humour is a little cheesy, but for interesting linguistic tidbits, I would recommend it!

I enjoyed this book. I love biology and language, so this book was made for me. It was well-written, in a conversational tone and with a good sense of humour and many pop-culture references. The puns and clever wording were appreciated. The illustrations were great and I liked the trail marker sections. Jess Zafarris introduced many fascinating elements of biology that had me running to my computer to look for additional information. Overall this was a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and Chambers for the advance reader copy.

Dives right into the words of flora and fauna. This was very informative and interesting, a little dry at times, but overall it kept my interest to keep reading! You can tell lots of research was put into this!