Fantastic Flora: The World's Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants Perfect Picture Book Friday

A fun and fascinating look at some of the world's most interesting plants.

text copyright Ann McCallum Staats, 2025, illustrations copyright Zoë Ingram, 2025, MIT Kids Press

Full disclosure:  this book is classified as middle grade and is significantly longer than a picture book, but in honor of the first day of spring, I had to include this gorgeous book, packed with information and overflowing with vivid illustrations. It contains fascinating facts about some of the most intriguing plants on earth--a meat-eating plant, a tree that makes the sound of an explosion when its seeds dry, the flower that killed Abraham Lincoln's mom.  

FANTASTIC FLORA would make an ideal resource for classroom teaching or at-home learning. The engaging illustrations and captivating content make it easily accessible to both younger and more advanced learners. Additionally, scattered throughout each chapter, are sidebars that extend learning opportunities, informing readers about the origin of a plant's name,  the science behind the plant's adaptations, or the ways the plant may have impacted history. ​Readers will love learning about all the wild, weird, and wonderful things that make these unique plants special.

Title:  FANTASTIC FLORA: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST, BADDEST, AND SMELLIEST PLANTS

Author:  Ann McCallum Staats

Illustrator:  Zoë Ingram

Publisher:  MIT Kids Press, 2025

Ages:  8-12 years

Themes:  Plants, Natural World, Environment, Adaptations

Here are a few activities that align with the themes in this book:

• Choose your favorite flora and compose a poem, draw a picture, or write a story about it.
• Check out this website for a teacher's guide and extension activities to consider.
• Go on a stump hunt. Walk through a wooded area and look for tree stumps. Investigate the wood rings. What information about the tree can you gather by looking at the rings? 
• Conversation starters: "What was your favorite plant? Why?" "Of all the plants included in this book, which one did you find most interesting? Why?" "If you were a plant, which one would you be? Why?"

Looking for more perfect picture books? Check out Susanna Leonard Hill's website!