Annual Literature Award >> Winners and Nominees >> 2026 Nominees
Nominees for the 2026 Annual Literature Award are:
The Accidental Seed Heroes: Growing a Delicious Food Future for All of Us
Alexander, Adam
Chelsea Green Publishing, 2025. 304 p.
ISBN 9781915294432
Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South
McInnis, Jarvis C.
Columbia University Press, 2025. 480 p.
ISBN 9780231215756
Ancient Women Gardeners : Prelude to the Chacoan World
Stuart, David E.
University of New Mexico Press, 2025. 232 p.
ISBN 9780826368461
Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family, 3rd edition
Bown, Deni
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2025. 456 p.
ISBN 9781842468128
Boing!: A Bouncy Book of Bugs
Carter, James; Neal Layton, illustrator
Otter-Barry Books, 2025. 32 p.
ISBN 9781915659507
The Brendel Collection of the University of Namur: Another way of looking at plants, fungi and bacteria
Martin, Philippe
Presses universitaires de Namur, 2024. 354 p. (Patrimoines,22)
Cacti and succulents: On-point advice to keep your plants looking sharp
Gerrard-Jones, Sarah
DK Publishing, 2025. 256 p.
ISBN 9780593961124
Chasing Wildflowers: An Adventurous Guide to Finding Minnesota’s Native Flowers in their Unique Habitats
Root, Phyllis; Kelly Povo, photographer
University of Minnesota Press, 2025. 304 p.
ISBN 9781517918873
Citrus: A World History
Mabberley, David J.
Thames & Hudson, 2024. 272 p.
ISBN 9780500026366
The Encyclopedia of Rootical Folklore: Plant Tales from Africa and the Diaspora
Samuels, Natty Mark; Nancey B. Price, illustrator
Scorched Earth Press, 2024. 336 p.
ISBN 9781961924055
The Essential Guide to Bulbs: Grow a Bounty of Beautiful Bulbs in Gardens and Containers
Samuels, Natty Mark; Nancey B. Price, illustrator
Timber Press, 2025. 348 p.
ISBN 9781643263243
Ferns: Lessons in survival from Earth’s most adaptable plants
Li, Fay-Wei and Jacob S. Suissa; Laura Silburn, illustrator
Hardie Grant North America, 2025. 192 p.
ISBN 9781958417850
Flora Indica: Recovering lost stories from Kew’s Indian drawings
Noltie, H. J.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2025. 192 p.
ISBN 9781842468425
From Plant to Plate: Turn Home-Grown Ingredients into Healthy Meals!
Gadzekpo, Darryl; Ella Phillips, illustrator
DK Children, 2024. 96 p.
ISBN 9780744096996
A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet
Brockenbrough, Martha; Juana Martinez-Neal, illustrator
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2025. 40 p.
ISBN 9780593428429
Grace Lee Boggs: Gardens of hope
Daemicke, Sogju Ma; Lin, illustrator
Albert Whitman & Company, 2025. 32 p.
ISBN 9780807530122
The Great Pollination Investigation: And How We Get Food from Flowers
Hocking, Deborah
Templar Publishing, in association with Kew Publishing, 2025. 32 p.
ISBN 9781800788138
The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation
Bernard, Frédéric; Benjamin Flao, illustrator
Greystone Books, 2024. 240 p.
ISBN 9781778401657
Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers
Hauptman, Jodi
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2025. 272 p.
ISBN 9781633451681
I, Buxus: A cultural history of the Tree of Afterlife
Aniśko, Tomasz
Landszaft, 2025. 192 p.
ISBN 9788397020610
Israel florilegium: An album of wildflower illustrations
Grierson, Mary Anderson and Heather Wood, illustrators; Yadin Roman and Ori Fragman-Sapir authors/editors.
ERETZ The Magazine of Israel, 2025. 1 vol. (English and Hebrew)
Just In Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Clendenan, Megan; Brittany Cicchese, illustrator
Charlesbridge, 2025. 32 p.
ISBN 9781623544805
Leif’s gift
Wang, Michael; Wen, Lenny
Norton Young Readers, 2025. 40 p.
ISBN 9781324052784
Love Them to Death: Turning Invasive Plants into Local Economic Opportunities
Applequist, Wendy L., editor
Missouri Botanical Garden Press, 2025. 304 p.
ISBN 9781935641315
Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem
Cole, Henry
Peachtree, 2025. 48 p.
ISBN 9781682637333
The Nature of Fashion: A Botanical Story of Our Material Lives
Somers, Carry
Chelsea Green Publishing, 2025. 304 p.
ISBN 9781915294791
Nature’s Greatest Success; How Plants Evolved to Exploit Humanity
Spengler, Robert N.
University of California Press, 2025. 512 p.
ISBN 9780520405837
The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions
Clarkson, Giselle
Gecko Press, 2024. 120 p.
ISBN 9781776575190
The Rose Book
Phaidon Editors
Phaidon, 2025. 248 p.
ISBN 9781838668808
Rosie & Pogo Visit the Missouri Botanical Garden
Byrde, Liz; Matt Byrde, illustrator
Missouri Botanical Garden Press, 2025. 28 p.
ISBN 9781935641339
Saving Orchids: Stories of species survival in a changing world
Seaton, Philip; Zettler, Lawrence W.
Univ of Chicago Press; Kew Publishing, 2025. 320 p.
ISBN 978-0226839417
Seeds of Discovery: How Barbara McClintock Used Corn and Curiosity to Solve a Science Mystery and Win a Nobel Prize
Alexander, Lori; Rebecca Santo, illustrator
Clarion Books, 2025. 128 p.
ISBN 9780063245990
South African Indigenous Garden Plants: The Gardener’s Guide
Pooley, Elsa; Geoff Nichols, and Andrew Hankey
Struik Nature (an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa), 2025. 616 p.
ISBN 9781775846505
The Southwest Native Plant Primer- 235 Plants for an Earth-friendly Garden
Dash, Jack; Takata, Luke; the Arizona Native Plant Society
Timber Press, 2025. 248 p.
ISBN 9781643263335
Still: The Art of Noticing
Hoffman, Mary Jo
Monacelli (A Phaidon Company), 2024. 318 p.
ISBN 9781580936330
Trees in Winter
Shimell, Richard
Sphere, an imprint of Little Brown, Hachette UK, 2024. 288 p.
ISBN 9781408732403
A Tyranny of Peonies, The Life of A.P. Saunders
Girton, Lois
Peony Press, 2025. 198 p.
ISBN 9798218590536
Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back – an Illustrated Guide
Tree, Isabella; Angela Harding, illustrator
Pan Macmillan, an imprint is Macmillan Children’s Books, 2024. 96 p.
ISBN 9781529092844
Indicates a title from our Literature for Children and Young Adults category.