We Can Hear Without Ears: And Other Things You Didn't Know We Plants Could Do

Plants have secret skills. They are water wizards, finding water in the driest landscapes. They are a community, sending underground messages—and even food and water!—to other plants. And yes, they can hear without ears.

Here’s a wondrous picture book for children ages 4–8 that will shake up the way readers think about plants.

Hey, creatures of the world! The plants would like to set a few things straight in this entertaining account of the astonishing skills they possess. Readers will be familiar with some of these abilities, such as photosynthesis, but others are likely to amaze children and adults alike, such as the fact that trees can communicate with—and send food and water to—one another through their roots with the help of fungi that connect them! 

Bursting with fun facts and plants with attitude, We Can Hear Without Ears is an energetic account of the invisible ways plants defend, nourish, strengthen themselves, and communicate with others. It will awe budding botanists, nature lovers, and even those who may think plants are boring. These plants are anything but boring; in fact, they’re thrilling, and as they share their secrets, they are sure to transform the way you think about flora.

Lisa Westberg Peters is the author of 21 children’s books including Our Family Tree, winner of the Minnesota Book Award, Push-Pull Morning: Dog-Powered Poems about Matter and Energy, and Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up. She lives with her husband in St. Paul, Minnesota, and loves to spend time at their cabin in northwestern Wisconsin.

Danielle Ridolfi is a picture book illustrator, designer, visual culture scholar, and instructor in children’s studies and illustration. She was the 2024 recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship.