Words to Love a Planet: An Illustrated Lexicon of Landscape, People, and Possibility

Words to Love a Planet is a beautifully illustrated and culturally diverse dictionary of words from a wide variety of languages offering new ways to consider our lives, our landscapes, and our ways of loving both people and planet.

New York Times-bestselling author Ella Frances Sanders--motivated by care for language and landscape--presents Words to Love a Planet, a collection celebrating the complexities of language, living, and the natural world.

Across seven themes there are over 200 words detailing feelings, concepts, physical facts of landscape, weather, or time, and ways of thinking that leave readers with a greater sense of connection to, and care for, the planet. Recognizing that which so many of us have long neglected, and the essential part translation plays in understanding both experience and environment, the words--from over 80 different languages--allow readers to better comprehend the present moment and envision futures in which our planet is properly loved. Each word is accompanied by a translation, a pronunciation, and a short description with either etymological detail or notes on the language or landscape of origin.

Equally an approachable entry point for those on the margins of environmentalism, as well as those who know we often lack the language to describe the struggles and nuances of the present time, Words to Love a Planet provides for both, a soft, thoughtful place to land amid the chaos.

Author: Ella Frances Sanders
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Published: 04/07/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.10h x 6.30w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9798881600082


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2026

About the Author
Ella Frances Sanders is an internationally-bestselling author and illustrator of five books about language, science, and beauty. She is both a columnist and designer for Orion magazine, and resides in Scotland.