Plants are really fucking cool.
Also, this book is so good that I bought myself a copy to have halfway through reading my copy from the library. Can't wait to dip back in and savor it all over again. ^.^

Recommended: yes!
for curious people, for gardeners, for people who like science, animals, travelling, and/or learning, for a fascinating set of plant vignettes that are easy to dip into and savor

Thoughts:
Fun fact about me: I generally dislike touching plants. It's a weird little aversion, and maybe it's from that time I pet a cactus as a child and learned what "regret" meant, but regardless of the reason, it's a thing for me. Buuuuut I also really love nature and plants and learning and science. This is a fantastic little book, and what I most want to emphasize is that I truly think anyone can read and enjoy this!!! For a very factual nonfiction book on a very sciency topic, that is quite impressive!

So what makes it so accessible? It comes down to a few things: short chapters, cultural and societal stories about each plant, and gorgeous illustrations.

Short chapters make this super easy to read one or two sections of whenever you have some time. This is not a book that you have to read in a particular order -- and in fact, Drori encourages readers not to! He wants you to explore this book like you would travel the world. Do you feel like going somewhere tropical today? Are you seeking a seemingly barren desert? Are you climbing a mountain? Pick a country, find it's page, and go there through it's plant life. For people who struggle to sit with a book, this is a great choice, as it is easy to sample in small tastes when you feel like it.

The descriptions are lush, as is fitting a book about plant growth. Yes, the factual science portion is in here, complete with Latin names and etymology and words like "stamen" and "inflorescence" and even the occasional "secretions." But the bulk of it is about the impact of the plant on animal and human life. Did you know that there was once a DEATH PENALTY for illicitly growing or selling nutmegs? Did you know that vanilla has been done dirty by becoming synonymous with "boring" when it's really one of the most truly exquisite flavors around? Did you know that all bamboo in the world flowers simultaneously no matter where they are and we STILL have no idea why? Look, this is what I found interesting, and there's so much more. The chapter on tomatoes blew my mind. But this is just a hint of what's packed into these pages.

The illustrations absolutely make this book. The clever and gentle commentary on the plants themselves are the bones of the book, but the illustrations are the heart. They are generous, with every plant having at least on page and often more, showing the shoots, the variations, the way humans and animals use them, the flowers, everything about it you can imagine. They are stunning and make me almost want to reach out and touch these plants.  ( )

A most wonderful book - entertaining, informative, and simply beautiful. I took my time over reading it, just one or two plants at a time as there is so much to absorb. It has also raised many questions in my mind - for example, there was a time when bees didn't exist. How? where did they come from? and I suppose the same for all insects. The realisation that plants are intelligent, and their relationship with and reliance on other creatures. Truly fascinating. ( )

Een reis om de wereld in 80 planten. Door: Jonathan Drori. Met illustraties van: Lucille Clerc.

Wow, wat een boek! Het begin al bij de cover die boordenvol prachtige afbeeldingen van planten staat, direct al een goed staaltje van het kunnen van Clerc.

In dit geweldig boeiende en mooie boek neemt Drori ons mee in een reis door planten; we beginnen met de brandnetel in Engeland en eindigen met schaafstro in Canada. Daartussen passeren de gekste, mooiste, vreemdste, maar ook alledaagse planten de revue. Hoewel het heel boeiend is om over Rafflesia uit Maleisië te lezen is het soms nog boeiender om ‘gewoon’ over de banaan te lezen of te ontdekken dat chrysanten uit Japan komen.

Drori heeft door zijn jarenlange ervaring een schat aan kennis; over de planten zelf maar ook over hun geschiedenis, hoe ze gebruikt worden (van yams maken ze anticonceptiepillen en cortisone!), waarom ze belangrijk zijn en zo veel meer. Elke plant krijgt een ode, opgefleurd door de prachtige tekeningen van Lucille.

Dit is een boek waarin je uren kan verdwalen, waarin je verliefd wordt op het moois dat ons omringt maar waardoor je ook de aandrang krijgt om op de barricades te gaan staan. De biodiversiteit neemt af, soorten verdwijnen aan de lopende band en alles hangt met alles samen. Wij hebben de planten nodig. Kijk maar naar het voorbeeld van de yams. En zo zijn er nog duizend voorbeelden en redenen te noemen. Lees dit boek, laat je betoveren en draag mee zorg voor al dit moois om ons heen. ( )