Words to Love a Planet (an illustrated dictionary)

Words to Love a Planet is a beautifully illustrated ‘love letter to the earth’, a dictionary to reconnect us to nature, time and place.

This heartfelt collection celebrates the poetry of language, and the quiet power of noticing. Motivated by a deep care for both words and the world, the author invites readers to reimagine their relationship with the planet through a lens of linguistic wonder!

Across seven themes (from Seasons and Land to Time and Water), discover over 200 words in over 80 languages that illuminate the textures of landscape, feeling, weather and thought.

Each entry includes a pronunciation guide, thoughtful definition and etymological or cultural context.

Ella Frances Sanders is an illustrator of books on language and beauty, and lives in Scotland. She is a beautiful writer, pop over her to her Substack to read more:

I’m interested in why wasp nests appear to be made of paper. I’m interested in hearing your story at the bus stop. I’m interested in never getting used to the way a full moon can look or the things it can choose to reveal. I’m interested in picking up small pieces of plastic from the riverside.

I’m interested in not talking too much.  I’m interested in dismantling the genocidal empire. I’m interested in the dance between two robins in the Japanese maple tree. I’m interested in how a friend’s baby can already recognise my face. I’m interested in crying. I’m interested in making space for other creatures, and in never forgetting I know not a single thing. I’m still waiting for spring.