A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants is a very well written monograph for middle grade readers about poisonous botanicals curated and written by Rebecca E. Hirsch. Released 22nd Oct 2024 by Lerner Publishing on their Zest Books imprint, it's 204 pages and is available in library binding, paperback, and ebook formats.
This is a beautifully presented book, with elegant photos and illustrations. It's aimed at middle grade+ readers, so the language is purposefully simple and direct. Proper nomenclature is used throughout alongside common names. Each of the plants (and they are myriad and varied) gets its own profile.
There are "true crime" historical tidbits and stories scattered throughout as well as scientific based items like what poison types each plant contains and sometimes their effects. If the author occasionally goes a tiny bit overboard with the sensationalistic "gross info incoming", it should be remembered that this book is aimed at youngsters for whom a good gross bit of info is ambrosia.
Well written and visually appealing, it would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition (school acquisitions personnel are strongly advised to vet the content beforehand and evaluate in light of liability concerns). It would also be a neat addition to gardening / allotment / community garden library, and home use.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment