Nature's Nasties

A fascinating collection of bizarre and mind-blowing stories about nature’s nastiest creations with a bite-sized format and boxouts, perfect for reluctant readers aged 8-12.

Step into the dangerous, deceptive, and downright deadly world of plants with creepy illustrations and even a chapter on video games.

From the corpse flower that smells like rotting flesh to the eerie wolfsbane that inspired werewolf legends, young readers will discover how nature’s most dangerous greenery has shaped history, inspired myths, and sent a shiver up humanity’s spine for centuries. Learn all about:

how “mad honey” defeated a Roman army the deadly plants in The Legend of Zelda and whether theyre just as poisonous in real life how mandrake root was used to create sleeping potions Shakespeare’s witches and their cauldrons of deadly plants four silent-but-deadly plants, shoo-ins for the "awful smell" award how taste tasters throughout history made sure important people werent poisoned (spoiler: there were dog testers!)
Dive into weird science, historical mishaps, video games, and entertainment, and the quirky ways humans and animals have tangled with vegetation that can kill, maim, or simply make their life miserable.

Matthew Wilson Taylors eerie and fantastical illustrations bring the demon dogs, creepy werewolves, screaming plants and more to life for young readers aged 8-12.