The Giving Flower: The Story of the Poinsettia
by Alda P. Dobbs; illus. by Emily Mendoza
Primary    Sourcebooks Jabberwocky    40 pp.
9/25    9781728297811    $18.99

This engaging botanical history of the ubiquitous holiday plant begins in southwest Mexico where what we now call poinsettias grew wild. In the fourteenth century, the Nahua people (Aztecs) used the “milky sap” for medicinal purposes, the red leaves (the actual flowers are tiny and yellow) for dye, and the plant itself for decoration. The plant was introduced to the U.S. in the 1820s; its association with Christmas was promoted by one California farming family in the 1960s. Friendly illustrations in a muted palette complement the accessible text. A detailed author’s note expands on the information, and a helpful annotated timeline is appended.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.