I’m really not sure how the green-fingers missed me given the fact that my grandfather was a gardener and my parents used to be avid gardeners and even my eldest sister has inherited the floral gene, me, not so much. My garden consists of flags and a tiny patch to one side where some flowers live – the ones I deem colourful and pretty, not because I know what they are or whether they would suit my south-facing garden.

So I delved into A World of Plants expecting to know next to nothing. The first thing you notice about this book is how big it is, at 37cms in height and 27cms in width this book is quite a lot bigger than the average children’s book. There are also 30 different sections including the science of plants, how their seeds move around, and even topics such as plants that eat animals and plants in peril.

The bold illustrations throughout bring this book to life especially as most include diagrams that are easy to understand. In fact, the whole book is easy to understand given that it has been written for children who most likely have no knowledge of any of the subjects within.

This is a very informative book and I believe that older children who might just be starting to learn about things such as pollination and photosynthesis might find this book useful too, especially if they are struggling with some of the scientific jargon associated with the topics.

A wonderful big book that certainly gave me plenty to think about and hopefully remember.

About the Author

Martin Jenkins, a conservation biologist, has written several nonfiction books for children, including Ape, Grandma Elephant’s in Charge, The Emperor’s Egg, and Chameleons Are Cool. He lives in Cambridge, England.

What did you think of A World of Plants? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!