Plants to the Rescue!: The Plants, Trees, and Fungi That Are Solving Some of the World's Biggest Problems

by Vikram Baliga, Brian Lambert (Illustrator), Neon Squid

Overview

In the ongoing fight against climate change, plastic pollution, and diseases, scientists are turning to an unlikely ally—Plants to the Rescue!

Everyone knows plants are pretty cool. They create oxygen for us to breathe (fairly essential), provide us with trees to climb, and give us pretty flowers to put in vases. But it turns out that plants can do a whole lot more than that too! In this brilliant botany book by podcaster, TikToker, and plant professor Dr. Vikram Baliga, get ready to drop your jaw on the floor when you find out about:

• The spinach that can detect landmines AND send emails
• The fig trees used to create living bridges
• The glow-in-the-dark plants that might one day light your home

You’ll also learn about the prickly cactus that can be turned into an eco-friendly bag and the fungi that likes to feed on oil spills.

Perfect for anyone who loves nature and wildlife, as well as the scientists of the future—you won’t look at plants and trees in the same way again!

Featuring illustrations by Brian Lambert

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684494309
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/11/2023
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	143 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Dr. Vikram Baliga is a Horticulture Lecturer at Texas Tech University. He hosts the Planthropology podcast, where he interviews amazing people from the world of botany, and has a popular account on TikTok.

Brian Lambert creates art that is bright, vibrant, and versatile with a unique and warm-hearted feel. Brian enjoys working on illustrations from his home in the beautiful Inland Northwest. He spends his spare time drawing, dreaming, and hanging out with his wife and cat.

Dr. Vikram Baliga is a Horticulture Lecturer at Texas Tech University. He hosts the Planthropology podcast, where he interviews amazing people from the world of botany, and has a popular account on TikTok called ThePlantProf.
Neon Squid creates beautiful nonfiction books for inquisitive kids (and kids at heart). We believe the most amazing stories are real ones, so our books are for children who want to decipher ancient scrolls, orbit distant stars, and dive into the deepest oceans. Our books are a labor of love—written by experts, illustrated by the best artists around, and produced using the finest materials, including sustainably sourced paper. We hope that by reading them kids are encouraged to further explore the world around them.

Editorial Reviews

Children's Book of the Week – "This is a wonderful read with fabulous colorful illustrations. It’s a very educational book, which although aimed at children under 10, will appeal to various ages – especially if you are interested in plants, wildlife and the environment." –The Independent

"This beautifully illustrated book is completely fascinating and full of facts about plants." –Booktrust

"This brilliant book will inspire children to learn more about the fantastic things that plants can do, how scientists are helping plants adapt and how to work with nature, and is highly recommended for teachers, homeschoolers, children and adults. With tips on what we can all do now and into the future to help, this excellent nonfiction guide gives us plenty to be optimistic about." -Children's Books Ireland

"A brilliant botany book for the scientists of the future wanting to fight climate change. Read all about the cool things plants can do, including using trees to make living bridges and glow-in- the-dark plants that might be used to light our homes one day." –Royal Horticultural Society

From the Publisher

2023-04-12
A plant scientist explains why plants are important.

This very simple survey starts off with introductions to the greenhouse effect (which, Baliga writes, is making our planet “warmer and weirder”) and other environmental issues but then really goes back to basics: “Most plants have leaves, stems, and roots, and they’re an important source of food for animals and humans.” From there, and ignoring his own definition to bring algae and fungi into the discussion, he goes on to a quick flurry of select vegetative topics and wonders, from the various sustainable uses to which beets, bamboo, and banana trees are, or theoretically could be, put and the importance of taking care of soils and habitats to the often vaguely worded medicinal values of plants, before closing with a push to grow houseplants and cultivate window boxes. Aside from the speculative passages, which the author tosses off without furnishing either specific examples or leads to further information, little of this is likely to be new even to very young audiences. Still, as a refresher, this does offer a cheery outlook as well as the visual appeal of the ever reliable Lambert’s bright renditions of flora, either isolated or in natural settings, being tended to by a racially diverse cast.

Rambling and untidy but may take adventitious root. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews