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Everything kids need to grow happy, healthy houseplants without the guesswork.
How Not to Kill Your Plant is a fun, practical houseplant guide for kids ages 6 to 9 that turns plant care into an easy and rewarding hobby. Using bold illustrations, clear infographics, and step-by-step instructions, this fully illustrated nonfiction book teaches young readers how to care for houseplants with confidence. Kids learn the basics of watering, light, soil, and repotting, while also discovering how different plants grow and what they need to thrive.
Perfect for curious kids who love plants or want to try gardening indoors, this beginner-friendly guide makes plant care simple and approachable. From choosing the right plant to fixing common problems, this book encourages responsibility, patience, and observation while building real-world skills. Ideal for independent reading, family projects, or classroom learning, How Not to Kill Your Plant helps kids grow both plants and confidence.
Key Features:
- Houseplant Care for Kids: Teaches how to water, repot, fertilize, and care for common houseplants.
- Clear Step-by-Step Instructions: Easy directions help kids successfully care for their plants.
- Illustrations and Kid-Friendly Infographics: Visuals make plant care concepts easy to understand and remember.
- Plant Encyclopedia and Glossary Included: Introduces plant types, growth habits, and basic plant vocabulary.
- Perfect for Ages 6 to 9: Designed for young beginners developing an interest in plants and nature.
For more than 75 years, Albatros Media has been crafting original and innovative children’s books that are both playful and educational, fostering curiosity and a love of learning in young minds. From novelty and board books to picture books, pop ups, and nonfiction, Albatros Media is dedicated to creating high-quality books that inspire imagination and discovery.
Selected for the CBC Winter 2024 Showcase: Boredom Busters
Selected for the CBC’s 2023 December Hot Off The Press Reading List
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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 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." —Margaret M., 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
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.
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.
Hannah Abbo is a self-taught illustrator originally from Brighton, UK. When she’s not drawing, she loves making ceramics, visiting botanical gardens, and growing vegetables. She currently lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal, with her partner and child, their (slightly) overweight cat, and 15 houseplants.
1. BASICS OF CARE
Getting to know: houseplants
Glossary
Houseplants up close
My room with and without houseplants
What you will need
Soil and pots
Water and watering
Light and heat
Choosing the right houseplant for you
2. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HOUSE PLANTS
Peace lily
Fiddle-leaf fig
Monstera
String of hearts
Burgundy shamrock
Chinese money plant
Jade
Cactus
Aloe vera
Umbrella plant
Moss ball
Palm
Polka dot begonia
Prayer plant
ZZ plant
Snake plant
3. CULTIVATION PRACTICE
Buying your houseplant
Your houseplant throughout the year
Transplanting
Trimming
Propagation
Expectation vs. reality
Problems
Pests
You’re a proper carer at last!