Thank you very much to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. #IntotheWords #NetGalley

4.5⭐

Non-fiction isn't usually my genre, but give me a book about fauna, flora, and words, and I'm hooked! And Into The Words ended up being near perfect for me.

This was such a lovely introduction to etymology and taxonomy. It was easy to understand, fun and playful and casual, but still clearly written by someone who knows their stuff! I got genuinely excited learning about words and how they apply to the plant and animal kingdoms.

The illustrations that separate the different biomes and chapters are gorgeous too (the axolotl one is my favorite). And I loved that the wit is mixed in with the factual knowledge, it makes it so much easier to read, less of a chore, less like you're studying and more like you're having a conversation with the author who is clearly passionate about this subject. The book is also well organized and cohesive, and when it goes into the etymology of each biome, every paragraph focuses on one flaura or fauna type, with the animal or plant highlighted in bold right there on the text. It's such a small thing, but makes it so much easier on the eye, and easier to flip back through if you want to find a fact quickly! I also love that it doesn't stop at etymology, it goes into historical facts, legends, and uses for plants too, for example, as well as many more.

I really don't want to spoil any of the actual facts, because half the fun is discovering them yourself, but I'll tease you a little bit: there's a whole section on the many, many names for mountain lion, and tracing where each one comes from was a joy to read. The word "iguana" carries a piece of indigenous history inside it that I never expected. The story behind why "flower" and "flour" used to be the same word genuinely amazed me! And if you ever wondered why people used to be terrified of tomatoes... this book has you covered!

Honestly, my family got annoyed with me popping into the living room every single page with a new fact and proceeding to giggle joyfully on my way out. That's how good this book is!

If you love words, plants, animals, or just bite-sized fascinating facts you'll want to share with everyone around you, pick this one up!