Hardcover
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Description
"Should you encounter any of the plants in this book, do not treat them lightly. They can kill you. Or cause you unbearable agony. Or land you in jail. Consider yourself warned."
Explore the strange and remarkable stories of poisonous and even deadly plants.
Science, history, and true crime converge in an informative and exciting look at Mother’s Nature’s ghoulish garden. From a hallucinogenic fungus linked to the Salem Witch Trials to the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, learn how certain plants evolved toxicity to avoid being consumed by predators and became the predator on their own.
In A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds author Rebecca Hirsch takes you on a wild journey to look at how toxic chemicals in the natural world have been used for medicine, warfare, and sinister acts of foul play. Tread lightly as we explore these plants’ ominous deeds.
Awards
YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers Top Ten Kirkus Best Teen/YA of 2024 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee Green Mountain Book Award Nominee
Critic Reviews
"This compendium is perfect for science buffs, true-crime lovers, herbalists, and teens drawn to the macabre. A must-have for anyone with a curiosity about nature's most sinister secrets."—starred, School Library Journal
"The striking page design evokes a strong sense of the macabre and is reminiscent of dark academia . . . An engaging, visually appealing guide for science buffs, true-crime enthusiasts, and herbalists alike."—starred, Kirkus Reviews
"A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants is a deeply interesting and informative YA book that will appeal to those who dance with danger and those curious about the science of deadly plants."—Shelf Awareness
"Each chapter opens with a full page, gorgeously rendered illustration of a plant in all its glory, set against a sepia-toned background that evokes a well-used, old-fashioned guidebook, and captioned photos throughout bring added appeal. While the organization makes this eminently browsable, it's possible readers just won't put it down."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Beautiful color photographs and drawings throughout the book make the plants easy to identify and bring their use throughout history into vivid focus. A memorable, enjoyable reference book, A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants combines often gruesome historical anecdotes with edifying botany lessons."—Foreword Reviews
"Promising "myth, mayhem, and murder," this diabolical botanical guide delivers on all fronts . . . Deliciously macabre and almost conspiratorial in tone, Hirsch's coverage is nicely rounded, pulling in traditional uses of many of these plants, some of which have medicinal treatments in small doses."—Booklist
About the Author
Rebecca E. Hirsch is an award- winning children's author with a PhD in plant biology. Her picture books include Plants Can't Sit Still and Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep. She lives with her husband and three children in State College, Pennsylvania. You can visit her online at rebeccahirsch.com.
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