If I were World Dictator, everyone would be required to read the first chapter, last chapter, and epilogue of this book annually!
I'll be candid: Hallé almost lost me during the first third of Chapter 2. But my persistence paid off handsomely. Hallé brings perspectives to the science unlike any I have encountered in my so-far two-year-old enthusiasm for botany. While I would not recommend this as a starting point for someone just beginning to study plants, I cannot recommend it highly enough for those with a reasonable popular-science level grounding in the field. (One note: this book was published in 1999, so some of the science is a little dated.)
But even without that grounding, you should see if your library has this book available, and you should read the first chapter, last chapter, and epilogue. (Only 38 pages, with pictures taking up much of that.) ( )

Plants don't move the way animals do. Therefore they have evolved ways to get animals to do work that requires moving for them. Hallé wrote about this idea in French in 1999. It was translated into English in 2002, soon after the appearance of Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan (2001), which presents a remarkably similar idea. Botany of Desire became a best-seller. In Praise of Plants did not. It may be a little too scientific for the general public, but the author has a great sense of humor and makes his points with hand-drawn, enchanting illustrations. ( )