ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
SCIENCE
Judge, Lita

The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom

48 pp. | Roaring Brook | March, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-250-23707-1 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-250-82924-5 $10.99
(2) K-3 Scientists are learning that trees communicate with one another, and with other species, by sending chemical and electrical signals. These "instant messages," often transmitted through fungi partners entwined with tree roots, share information about soil conditions, warn of attacks from insects, and send calls for help when a tree is in distress. Judge thoroughly explains the many ways in which trees and the organisms that live in, under, and near them form complex and interdependent ecosystems. She emphasizes cooperation, rather than competition, to highlight the ways they help other species and trees in their immediate areas. The volume's well-organized layout runs scientific information down a column far to the right side of each double-page spread, while short poems imagining what trees are saying can be found mostly to the left, overlaying the illustrations. In the poems, the trees speak solemnly, their communications translated into the voices of wise matriarchs caring for all living things. Central to the layouts are the figures themselves: grand stands of North American and European trees, beautifully portrayed with twisty branches, fluttering leaves, and intricate root complexes. The perspectives shift with each turn of the page, from human eye level to a bird's overhead view, and then down on and under the forest floor. Extensive notes in the back matter provide additional details about the species in each illustration, as well as lists of resources and a glossary.
Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

RELATED 

SCIENCE

How to Build an Insect
by Gibson, Roberta
SCIENCE

A Quick History of Math
by Gifford, Clive
SCIENCE

Butterflies Are Pretty...Gross!
by Mosco, Rosemary
SCIENCE

Summertime Sleepers
by Stewart, Melissa
SCIENCE

Birds
by Krestovnikoff, Miranda
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?