The Deadliest: Flower

Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5

Six flowering plants face off against the Death-O-Meter to determine which will be crowned the deadliest of them all.

Meet the deadliest flowering plants on Earth. Whose toxin is the most potent? Is it the beautiful belladonna? The eye-catching angel’s trumpet? The infamous wolfsbane? Or someone else? The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for poisonous plant interactions (Do not eat! Do not pick!) and introduces the contestants. This tale of blooms and doom invites readers into the world of deadly flowering plants: where they grow, how they’re used—and what could happen if you ever come into contact with one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing why they’re important to the places they live—and why we should protect them. With humor, accessible science, and a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, The Deadliest: Flower shows that even the deadliest things in nature may not be as scary as we think.

About the Author

Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD, is an entomologist, science writer, and regular expert on Discovery’s What on Earth? She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.Max Temescu is a designer and New York Times best-selling illustrator currently based in Washington, DC.