Stuff That Stuff Is Made of : The Things We Make With Plants

Children's Book Council’s 2026 Librarian Favorite 

Jonathan Drori brings life to the science of 30 plants, revealing how their worlds are entwined with our own in this beautiful one-of-a-kind family book.

Did you know that there's seaweed in ice cream, cork in spacecraft and dandelion in truck tires? Have you wondered how paper or thread are made, or why the mandrake is so mysterious?

Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated, this book of wonder gives a young reader the knowledge of how the things we use every day are born from natural materials, and the surprising stories behind their creation.

Discover how:
-Dandelions can turn into tires
-Papyrus is pressed into paper
-Cacao becomes chocolate
-Baobab trees transform into rope
-Cotton is spun into banknotes
-Bamboo helps people as well as pandas
-And much more!

With 30 beautifully crafted stories throughout history and from all around the world, this book entwines plant science with human history and technology and is a beautiful botanical gift to explore and treasure for readers 7-70 years.

Jonathan Drori CBE is a Trustee of The Eden Project and Cambridge Science Centre, an Ambassador for the WWF and was for nine years a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and The Woodland Trust. He is on the board of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society, the Zoological Society of London, and the Royal Geographical Society. He continues to take a keen interest in plants; especially economic botany, ethnopharmacology, and plant genetic resources, and has accompanied several Kew botanical expeditions, making short films about their discoveries.

Raxenne Maniquiz is an illustrator and graphic designer based in the Philippines, whose work is often bursting with native botanicals. No matter the subject matter, her skillful handling of deep, painterly strokes, and brilliant contrasting colors always breeds beautiful results. Raxenne's finely textured illustrations and signature colorful backgrounds have emblazoned branding campaigns, product packaging, apparel, stationery, murals, not to mention lighting up multiple publications.

Jiatong Liu is a Chinese born illustrator who lives in London. He went to Kingston university to study illustration in 2019. After finishing his master's degree, he became a freelance illustrator and teacher in 2021. As a young talent illustrator, he has won several prestigious awards for his illustration work during these two years, including Communication Arts, Young Ones ADC, and 3X3 award. Liu has developed quite a distinctive style that reflects the visuals of his wildest dreams. His ability to manifest the world from his imagination into these unique pieces makes him a true visionary.