When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants

Plants Aren’t Always Lovely Audiobook Review: Some plants have evolved some brilliant ways to defend themselves and actually take down what might be predators or perhaps just lunch! These plants can be everything from ones as small as houseplant up to entire trees. One of the first ones talked about is the stinging tree, native to Australia. One touch of this can actually cause acute pain for weeks, and the pain may sometimes recur now and then for years. We also learn about a few more familiar ones like the Venus flytrap. Each plant chapter is organized similarly. First, we hear a fictionalized account about what the plant attack is like and then its variety of names, including the scientific one, are given as well as where they are found. Then, even more interestingly—at least to me—the story of how scientists figured out how these mechanisms work and other interesting information is provided. I love that the scientific process for figuring out all of these mechanisms was shared, as I think that encourages natural curiosity in science. The narrator has a pleasant tone, and you can hear her interest in the topic. Because the book does have some unusual words—and I imagine some great photos of the plants—I recommend pairing the audiobook with the eBook or physical book so the child can read along with the audio and enjoy the pictures. If you have a child who enjoys stories of unusual science, she or he may enjoy this book. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.