Another interesting pocket book. I wish there were more detailed pictures/photos but the basic information was good. I'd say more decorative and fun than informational.

A very cute book with interesting information. Definitely more of a gift book than a library book. I might buy myself a copy, but won’t be adding it to our collection.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book. I really enjoyed this book. A welcome respite from winter, something to look forward to as spring begins to bring more and more flowers just popping up. I have always enjoyed walks in the woods and looking for native plants, and hope to be able to identify a few more thanks to this book.

A great book perfect for a begginer in non fiction. Filled with information about flowers that is easily understandable even for someone completely clueless - as I admittedly was- this is the perfect gift for any nature lover/ anyone who wishes to get more into the complex and wonderful world of flowers.

The illustrations of the book are extremely helpful to downright just beautiful at times, the way the Information is presented to the reader follows a logical order that he is sure to understand, and the writing style is easy to read and extremely conversational. It's clear that the author cares about what she wrote and this absolutely did come from the very heart.

An excellent book that I simply cannot recommend enough.

This is a gem of a book with so much insight. It's written beautifully with information on finding wildflowers as well as facts and helpful guides and reflections. I would have liked to see actual photos of the wildflowers though. I appreciate the illustrations but for a pocket guide, a visual of the real thing is important.

I always say I don't like to give non-fiction books a "star" rating, because it's deeper rooted. When anyone shares their own knowledge and experience, it automatically becomes special. How can someone put a low rating on that? Well, I am making an exception here - because this book was a FIVE STAR read. I learned so much.

As someone who is in their first season of growing wildflowers, it was so much fun to learn about native, nonnative, and invasive differences. These whimsical treasures will now be easier for myself and husband (who I forced to also read this) to identify and forge.

We are currently entering into a new "bloom season" - a term which this book taught me, and I couldn't be more excited. I will definitely be purchasing this book, so I can keep it as a close pocket guide as we continue on this wildflower journey of love.

Pocket Nature: Flower Finding is a wildflower lover’s type of book. There are drawings and information on many common and not so common wildflowers. Andrea Debbink also gives the readers ideas on what to do while exploring the wildflower world.

I’m sure experts know much of this information already but for a novice like myself this is an interesting valuable tool. I especially liked the sections on what flowers can teach us and what to do with flowers.

I loved this pocket nature book on Flower Finding. I adore flowers and the illustrations in this and information truly brought my love of flowers to life. I will be purchasing a physical copy for my adventures when it releases on March 26th 2024.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.

Anyone who regularly walks in nature may come across wild flowers. They certainly can be enjoyed just as is in the moment. However, sometimes or some people may want to know more about what they are seeing. For those walkers and times, this book may be welcomed.

Sections include Meeting the Wildflowers; When, Where, and How to Find Wildflowers; What to Do with Wildflowers; and, What Flowers Can Teach Us. For identifying flowers, the book is divided into U.S. geographic regions which is helpful.

The author knows her wildflowers and shares a lot of information. The book has illustrations of the flowers but no photos and I am not sure if the colors are always correct; there are a lot of pinks here. For some, a color photo may be most helpful while for others this book could feel just right.

I loved the reminder to be an observer of nature. For me, that is especially true at this time of year.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chroicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

"A weed is but an unloved flower!" - Ella Wheeler Wilcox
This book kicks off with this quote and set the tone in just the right way. This is a vibrant, energetic little pocket book that fairly bursts with excitement about wildflowers, ALL wildflowers, here and there and all around us. (I do wish it had been titled "Wildflower Finding" - it would be a more accurate and therefore more compelling title, in my opinion.)

The book helpfully shows you how to identify flower shapes, petals, leaf shapes, leaf types, and more. It talks about when and where you might be most likely to find wildflowers. I especially love that the author lists roadsides as a good place to spot wildflowers. Often overlooked, this is indeed a humble location that is often blooming over (see what I did there?) with wildflowers that almost nobody ever notices or appreciates.

The only thing that kept this from being five stars was the decision to stylize all the flower illustrations in just two colors. While this certainly makes the book more visually coherent when you pick it up and flip through it idly at the bookstore, it also makes it much more difficult to use as an actual reference book. I do disagree with the previous reviewer who wanted photos instead of illustrations - I actually find that illustrations are often preferable for reference books, since the illustrator can focus on the elements that really help with identification. But to do them in just two or three colors is such a "form-over-function" decision in a book that is ostensibly for carrying with you and using in the real world, when seeing a wildflower, is such a misstep that it's hard for me to understand. If they had just used accurate coloring in the illustrations, this book would get a big 5 stars from me and I would be purchasing it for future use on my own walks and hikes.

Bonus points for including a short list of artists who have created particularly lovely renderings of wildflowers, so you can get inspired by their work if you decide to do your own art of the wildflowers you find (which the author highly encourages, as do I!). And even the names of a few poems about flowers, which I don't think I have ever seen in any reference book about flowers of any kind.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.

Another lovely little guide and how can I resist flowers? “I must have flowers, always, and always.” - Claude Monet... this little guide is pretty and just the right amount of information for all nature and flower lovers. While the illustrations are not prize-worthy, I do enjoy having them for reference as I read this book.

This is an excellent, quick read for the flower-curious and the seasoned flower growers alike. Designed as a pocket-size guide for identifying and learning about wildflowers, its strengths lie in the "extras" like learning about adaptability from a dandelion and hope from a Snowdrop.

This is a sweet and informative little book for those who don’t know much about wildflowers. It is illustrated with black, white and hot pink. Sections tell about Latin name meanings, a few species to look for in each region of the United States, basic ideas of what to do with flowers (mostly look at them and photograph them) and so on.

This is not an identification book and it’s also very brief. It’s a nice book to get you excited about looking for wildflowers but those who are already educated on the subject may find it lacking.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

Book provided by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I liked this book, and felt like it was a good jumping off point for those who, (like me), don't know a ton about plants. I liked the included quotes, and the idea of looking for wildflowers as a meditative activity.

I also liked that it was specific about what regions what flowers are in, instead of just listing some that could grow anywhere.

I didn't love the colors of the illustrations, but that's a me thing.

While I think this book is a good primer on identifying and finding wildflowers in your region, I think this book's biggest weakness is actually the illustrations. While the drawings of the flowers are cute, I find it hard to properly identify wildflowers without seeing their true colors and textures. I think this book would have been a lot more effective with proper photos of each wildflower, not drawings.

Beautiful pocket book! If you live flowers and want to get general knowledge about them outside of perfectly arranged bouquets and florist (flowers and their wild side) then you’d relent enjoy this book. The cover is striking and so joy-filled — I wish that feeling carried on my other the inner page illustrations.
The good thing about this book is that you get a bit of everything when it comes to wild flowers (how, when, where, and everything in between). The not so great thing is that you do get a bit of everything and it can feel a little trivial in the end.
Altogether a fun one sitting-read type of book, perfect for a coffee table and for gifting.

The book was a good introduction how to identify plants and how wildflowers influence culture and personal lives. The cultural aspect of this book is very interesting and I found the “how to enjoy your walk” section to be soothing. I was also interested in was the USA regional guide. A shallow dip but the entire book is a shallow dip. As such, anyone who already has been identifying wildflowers or plants will not find new information. I found the individual flower identification to be fairly useless as the colors were not accurate sometimes. Color isn’t the main tell tale sign of a plant but it does help to not have the wrong image in your mind. I wish the author had gone full culture or full identification because I think the information was too simple to be used in the field. In all, maybe this book is for people who have not tried to identify plants and want to have an introduction, but I would also give them a state plant identification guide as well as this book.

Honestly, I never considered being plant blind to all the different flowers and trees around me, they all just looked like background filler, I never felt the need to know specifics.
Now having two feral boys that love going outside for walks and running through the woods, ive taught myself all the bugs and lizards in the area, why not the flowers too?
It's shocking how much the mind will blur out things when you're not looking for them. Go outside and try identifying 10 plants, i couldn't and i live in the woods! But now I'm able to see the differences, what kinds are edible, and I'm learning more every time I go outside.
The book features cute drawings of flowers along with the common and scientific names, and a basic lesson in Latin to learn scientific names easier! It's very informative and helpful for beginners but I can see where even experts could find these cheat sheets helpful

Pocket Nature: Flower Finding is an accessible and attractive pocket guide to finding and identifying wildflowers by Andrea Debbink. Due out 26th March 2024 from Chronicle Books, it's 128 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a layman accessible and appealing book. It has a very retro vibe, with simple monochrome line drawn interior art (not as detailed as the cover art, which is gorgeous). It's a bit scattered and the information is not very formally organized. The author covers general botanical and simple ecological concepts like nomenclature, native vs. invasive species, identification tips, etc. There are several activity prompts scattered throughout which will help readers get outdoors, observe, and *learn* about the species in their areas.

Three and a half stars. It's *not*, strictly speaking, a field guide aimed at plant identification (although it does give some tips); it's mostly a general short guide to getting out in nature and finding and enjoying the wildflowers. There are also companion volumes in the series with the same format and graphic vibes on beekeeping, foraging, and more.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The book contains a little bit of everything--plant anatomy, ecology, ethnobotany, It's written on the layperson level, which will make it popular. Though it is by no means a comprehensive guide to wildflowers (only some examples are used), it might be a fun gift for a young person or maybe someone who's just starting to learn about the outdoors.

The beautiful cover of this little book promised lots of colorful drawings. When I first looked inside and saw the single color artwork, I was disappointed. But, as I browsed the book, it grew on me (no pun intended!) It allowed for adequate demonstration of details and will undoubtedly keep the price reasonable. That said, it would truly be stunning if it could be done in full color throughout.

As a retired Biology/Botany/Horticulture professor, I found most of the book to be well done and accurate. But...there is a significant error in the "naming" chapter that continues to be perpetuated by many who are attempting to keep scientific details from discouraging the lay reader. The "species" is BOTH names (genus + specific epithet). When we speak of a species, for instance, we don't just say that the sunflower species is "giganteus." There are lots of organisms that have "giganteus" as the specific epithet, so that's not enough to tell us what we're looking at. However, Helianthus giganteus describes a particular species of plant that is unlike any other with the "giganteus" specific epithet. Sorry to be picky, but this error is really something that should not be perpetuated for the sake of simplicity.