How to talk to your succulent

by | Jun 3, 2025

Adara feels adrift. After her mom’s death, her dad won’t talk to her and abruptly moved them from California to live with his mom in Michigan. If he won’t even talk about her mom, why did he bring some of her many houseplants across the country with the, when Grandma doesn’t want them in her house? Adara meets new friends, both human and plant, and discovers some secrets about herself, but with her dad refusing to communicate, will she ever learn about her new ability to talk to plants – and will her new friends wither and die?

This is a delightful artistic debut. Persico’s colors and lines curl and vine across the page, repeating the layered beauty of succulents and houseplants in Adara’s curled hair. Perle, Adara’s new plant friend, is a plump, pink delight, folding out into a cute little creature and then back into her plant form. The contrasts between the bright sunlight and the dark gloom are marked, showing the contrasts in Adara’s moods. Most notably, the spiky vines that appear around both Adara and Perle show their changing emotions. As the story builds to a climax, Adara is surrounded by a spiky forest of dark, thorny vines, threaded with virulent red, from which she breaks free into a more peaceful setting with soft, rippling pink lights.

Although the book deals with some heavier subjects – the death of a parent and the resultant grief and struggle to communicate between father and daughter—the relatively quick resolution and optimistic ending place this firmly into the middle grade category. The book ends with some advice about taking care of real houseplants and some thoughtful notes from the author about communication.

The story is slow-paced and the quirky but sweet magic of talking to plants won’t be for everyone, but the art is beautifully done and more emotionally sensitive readers, as well as those who appreciate the beauty of the art, will enjoy this debut graphic novel.

How to Talk to Your Succulent
By Zoe Persico
Tundra Books, 2025
ISBN: 9781774883129

NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)