For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Emily Graham’s review of “The Book of Disappearing Plants” by Štěpánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Eliška Podešvová, and translated by Mark Worthington, first published September 14, 2026, at Booklist Online.
Enjoy.
“The Book of Disappearing Plants”
By Štěpánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Eliška Podešvová, translated by Mark Worthington. June 2026. 72p. Albatros. Grades 4-7.
There’s plenty of discussion about endangered and extinct animals, but plants finally get the spotlight in this unusual investigation. It begins with several species that disappeared long ago—some 300 to 400 million years back—and are known only by their fossil forms. This wasn’t due to human influence, of course; the text is quick to point out that extinction can be a normal consequence of evolution. There are lost sunflowers of New Mexico, vanishing banana trees of Australia, and a Mexican orchid that’s extinct in the wild but still cultivated in captivity. Each striking spread features a hefty amount of text, lifelike illustrations, a map of geographic range, and extra insets adding interesting anecdotes and reasons for extinction or endangerment. The linear approach makes for an engaging read-through, but the bursting book would also lend itself to a quick drop-in to simply learn about a tree or two. An impressive plant primer, history lesson, and ecological exploration, sure to spark further flora fascination. — Emily Graham
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