Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Engaging, info-packed, riddle-based quest into plant world.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Back in the 1950s, a British botanist and his daughter Rosalind, who didn't let her blindness keep her from studying along with him, traveled the world exploring THE GREEN KINGDOM of plants. Meanwhile, she kept up a lively correspondence with her sister, Minna, a famed needleworker, who lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York. Each letter includes a series of riddles and clues from science and ancient tales about plants. Fast-forward to the present, when 12-year-old Caspia, a small-town girl from Maine, spends the summer in what was once Minna's apartment. Caspia finds the letters, and soon has half the neighborhood, plus her pals back home, working to solve the riddles.
Is It Any Good?
It's all about the plants in this enticing summer tale of old letters, riddles, and new possibilities, as a tween discovers Brooklyn, makes new friends, learns a lot, and puts down roots. Longtime fans of author Cornelia Funke, known for her work in the realms of magic and fantasy, may be surprised at The Green Kingdom's change of pace: She joins forces with ethnobotanist Tammi Hartung to introduce a wealth of information about plants, as seen in myth, story, science, art, food, and more, but it's an engaging and informative read that opens up many paths for future exploration. The info-packed narrative can sometimes overwhelm the sweet, relatable story of a family finding itself during a summer away, but this fun, friendship-centered, community-building tale paired with Melissa Castrillón's plentiful, detailed black-and-white illustrations of plants is not to be missed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about plants—and all the stories that seem to sprout around them, as seen in The Green Kingdom. Do you have any favorite stories about plants, trees, flowers, or beanstalks?
Are there any plants you really like? What do you like about them? Do they live in your area, or have you only ever seen them in movies/television or online?
Characters in The Green Kingdom visit a botanical garden to see plants from all over the world. Have you ever done this? What plant did you like best?
How does curiosity play out in this story? Does it help solve the clues? When has curiosity led to your learning something interesting?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Melissa Castrillon
- Genre : Family Life
- Topics : Cooking , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , STEM
- Character Strengths : Communication , Curiosity , Empathy , Gratitude
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : DK Publishing Inc.
- Publication date : April 1, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 372
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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