How Not to Kill Your Plant

by Magda Gargulakova and Lenka Chytilova

Illustrated by Hannah Abbo

Published by: Albatros Media

Imprint: Albatros Media

56 Pages, 7.70 x 10.00 in, Color illustrations throughout

Hardcover
9788000069968
Published: December 2023

$15.95

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

A comprehensive guidebook for kids on proper houseplant care, featuring bold illustrations and engaging infographics.

Houseplants can add a touch of green to any living space, and caring for them can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby. For kids interested in learning more about plant care, this comprehensive guidebook covers all the basics and more, teaching kids all about the different types of houseplants, their growth habits, and the best practices to care for them. Divided into three sections, How Not to Kill Your Plant provides all the information kids need to ensure their houseplants thrive:

The Basics of Care: Learn about the essential elements of plant care, including watering, lighting, and soil.

Encyclopedia of houseplants: Identify and learn about common houseplants, including their ideal growing conditions and common issues to look out for.

Cultivation practice: Discover tips and tricks for repotting, propagation, and other plant care techniques.

Highlights include:

A glossary of basic plant terminology (e.g., substrate, fertilizer, humidity, etc.)
Step-by-step instructions for taking care of houseplants
Advice on choosing the right plant
Various problems you can expect to encounter – and ways to solve them

Images accompany the text in a fun yet logical and orderly fashion, such as this numbered list for repotting:

Water the plant well the day before repotting. This will make it easier to remove it from its pot.
Remove the plant from its pot.
As you carefully release the roots, remove old, excess soil from the plant.
Remove old, rotting roots.
Having selected a pot with a drainage hole and of appropriate size, wash this pot in soapy water.
Put a drain (e.g., a layer of expanding clay balls or pebbles) in the bottom of the pot. (Plants watered in a tray do not need a drain.)
Add a small layer of the new substrate.
Place the plant in the new pot.
Fill any remaining space in the pot with the new substrate.
Tamp the soil down gently with your fingers, ensuring that the plant is well anchored. Don’t fill the pot with soil right to the top, but to 1 cm below it – you must leave space for watering.
Water the plant well (unless it is a cactus or succulent – in which case wait 2 weeks before watering).
Your plant has been potted. Hurray!

Plant care instructions are likewise fun yet clear and actionable, such as this one for the Cactus:

Fertilize max. 1x per month with special fertilizer for cacti.
In spring or summer, transplant to a terracotta pot. Do not water for 2 weeks after repotting.
Propagate by offsets.
It needs an airy, permeable substrate, like one with sand.

Filled with clear and concise advice, this book is much more than just a practical guide. It features fresh, modern illustrations that bring the information to life, as well as engaging infographics that make the information easy to understand and remember.

How Not to Kill Your Plant is suitable for children aged 6–9 interested in growing houseplants. Geared toward kids who love plants and want to develop a lifelong hobby of plant care, this guidebook is ideal for any young ones looking to green up their home, as well as adult readers and flower shop patrons.

Magda Gargulakova has a degree in Art History and is a co-founder and also curator of the OFF/FORMAT gallery in Brno, Czech Republic, which exhibits and promotes contemporary progressive art, mostly by young artists. She worked for a time in marketing, but her love affair with books has been a long one. For OFF/FORMAT, she has edited and published several art publications. Since 2019, she has added to this experience as an editor of literature for very young readers at Albatros Media, using her two daughters for quality control.

Tomas Kopecky is an illustrator of children's books and computer games, working as part of a creative duo with his wife Tereza. He began his career as a pixel art mobile game designer in Prague, and in 2019, he illustrated his first book, A Bug Hotel. In his free time, Tomas enjoys the countryside, mountain biking, skateboarding, board games, and – above all – spending time with his family, including his two daughters and his dog Karlik.

Lenka Chytilova was drawn to books and writing from a young age. It was no surprise, then, when she got a degree in Czech Language and Literature and German Translation. She has always tried to connect books and reading, her greatest hobby, with her work; she worked part-time in a bookshop for many years and she also worked as an editor and proofreader. Lenka likes classic Czech fairytales, and she loves Večerníček, the Czech television program for children’s bedtime stories. She grew up in a village in East Moravia.

Helena Harastova is a writer, translator, and mother. She graduated in Dramaturgy from the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts, having previously worked for the National Theatre in Brno, Czech Republic. Her most unusual pastime is proofreading texts for errors in spelling, grammar, and style.

Xiana Teimoy is an illustrator from Vigo, in the far northwest of Spain. After graduating in fine arts with honors, she completed a master’s in design and illustration. So far, she’s worked mostly on children’s books and kid’s magazines. She loves illustrating stories for kids and reading children’s books, wondering what the illustrator’s own creative process was. She works from her lovely and cozy studio located in sunny Valencia, Spain, where she develops her work using digital media. She also teaches illustration at the University of Valencia.

Selected for the CBC’s 2023 December Hot Off The Press Reading List (https://www.cbcbooks.org/cbc-book-lists/december-2023/)
"Still, this nonfiction title for kids should provide you with all the information that can help you out. And it really does. It lays down all the requirements, all the equipment, all the know-how." —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal
"I highly recommend this for any kids with houseplants (and their adults)." —Book Riot Kids
"How Not to Kill Your Plant is a wonderful resource for children interested in houseplants or gardening, even adults with less than a green thumb! The author included so much detail! From decisions needing to be made about what daylight and care we can provide the plants, how to chose the right plants for us, house plants throughout the seasons, and much, much more! The illustrations are delightful. They are brightly colored and detail the plants wonderfully." —Cherokee Crum, YA Books Central
"Delightful advice for any age! Layout, info, and attractive graphics will appeal to visual learners on how not to kill your plant!" —Andrienne C., Azusa City Library

"With beautiful modern illustrations and a simplistic approach to basic plant procurement and care, this is the perfect comprehensive guidebook to anyone looking to care for plants." —The Novel Neighbor, Bookseller
"This book is a wonderfully detailed introduction to the basics of plant care. It uses straightforward, easy-to-understand language and detailed illustrations to inform the reader about everything from plant identification to watering guides to pest identification. A section details some of the most common and popular houseplants and their care guides, as well as general plant care information such as season care instructions. I think the book would be appropriate for children and adults interested in owning and maintaining plants. One detail I found to be especially helpful while reading was the use of numbered guides that referenced you to other pages for more reading information. All in all, I think this would be an excellent choice of book for anyone that owns or is interested in plants." —NetGalley-Librarian
"This was a delightful read about caring for and celebrating houseplants. Although it is categorized as a children's book, I can see myself gifting this book to an adult (along with a new plant that is featured in the book). I thought this book had great information, and the illustrations were so charming. I learned a few things about caring for my houseplants, including that some are not pet-friendly!" —Margaret M., NetGalley-Reviewer
"This is a fantastic plant book. I would not classify this as only a children's book, but just a how to book for anyone learning the basics of taking care of plants. This book is broken down into three main parts: The Basics of Care, Encyclopedia of houseplants, and Cultivation practice. The added tips and illustrations are a nice touch. Lots of us and children are visual learners and seeing an illustration of different pots or tools rather than just reading the name is beyond beneficial. I love this book and it is not only a must for my home library but a recommendation for many others." —Stephanie C., NetGalley-Reviewer
"I mean I know this is intended for kids, but as someone who kills just about every plant possible and knows nothing about gardening or caring for plants this was helpful for me. I also have two tweens who are interested in growing their own little plant and this seems like a decent guide for them to begin learning. The illustrations make it very easy to understand, there's a whole glossery of definitions and simple explanations about how to care for plants. On top of the good information, the illustrations are bright, cheerful and fun to look at. Overall a win." —Crystal D., NetGalley-Reviewer
"Everything I needed for the lack of green thumb I have! Straight forward and to the point! I took notes, heres to not killing my plants!" —NetGalley-Reviewer
"This was actually really cute and really educational at the same time. I found a lot of really good houseplant care information while finding the illustrations adorable!" —Amanda W.,NetGalley-Reviewer
"This was a cute nonfiction guide to growing and keeping plants. I liked the illustrations. This would be a great resource for kids interested in keeping plants." —Melanie G., NetGalley-Librarian
"I'm definitely one of those people....the ones who already know how to kill a plant in just a few easy steps. This book has shown me so many of the reasons why I've inflicted those death sentences on my plants and how to keep from killing more in the future. What I felt had to be hard or above my skill set, has been easily shown and proven to help even those of us like me happy and green. Definitely buy this for someone you know who does not have green thumbs." —Denice Langley, NetGalley-Reviewer
"This book saves plants! Really. A fab breakdown of how to care for indoor plants. Yes, some need a spritzer. From watering, to lighting, to fertilizer, and more this book is a handbook will help your plants live and help you live better indoors." —Katie M., NetGalley-Librarian
"This guide is comprehensive and will provide everything you will need, as well as choosing the right houseplant. The authors convinced me to try a houseplant to add some serenity to my bedroom. Though the illustrations may gear towards younger readers, I felt that the instructions were at my adult level…maybe because this is totally new to me? In any event, "How Not to Kill Your Plant" will inspire you to start growing plants to enhance the beauty and tranquility of your home." —UnderratedReads, Reviewer
"Visually, the book is nice on the eyes. Information is presented in a dynamic yet simple and well-coded way, using symbols, bullet points, text boxes, and bubble images to portray different instructions and emphasize importance. The illustrations have a soft watercolor/colored pencil design, and are cute, not overly detailed, and use color to highlight images. For example, on a page about potting and soil, the pots and dirt will be colored in, but not the table, children, or background, making the eye focus on what is being discussed. How Not to Kill Your Plant is a fantastic houseplant care book for beginners because of its effective visual design and comprehensive information that will appeal to kids, teens, and adults." —Laila Carter, Cheltenham Township Library System

"I would classify this as a middle grade book, anything younger will need parental assistance. Aside from the age bracket being a little higher than I originally anticipated, I found this to be a delightful little guide! It's artwork is before and each page is packed with super helpful information to help your littles become the next generation of green thumbs." —Shara L., NetGalley-Reviewer
"Do you like plants? Do you have trouble keeping them alive? This book is perfect to learn all about finicky house plants and how to best care for them to keep them alive." —Liam (age 12), Kids' Book Buzz
"Do you have a green thumb? I think I am well on my way to having my house just filled with books and plants and I absolutely love it! How Not to Kill Your Plant breaks down different types of house plants, the basics of what you need, and how to care for them. It is so full of information, you will be a proud plant parent in no time! This book would make an amazing gift. Pair it with a small houseplant (you could pick one from their list), a watering can, and clippers. What a wonderful springtime gift." —Three Little Loves Library, IG
"How Not to Kill Your Plant is such a fun and informative book about houseplant life. It goes over basic information about caring for indoor plants and even includes the proper care for many specific common houseplants. I learned so much from this book about soil, pots, watering, light, transplanting, and so much more." —Fun Reads for Kids, IG

How Not to Kill Your Plant

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