I'm loving September thanks to the huge amount of book birthdays I've been able to shoutout. Luckily, today isn't any different!
Today's read comes from one of my favorite, kids' nonfiction publishers and happens to hit on a theme I covered in a picture book not too long ago. The picture book was more of a poetic celebration of a tree's 'second' life, where as today's read heads into the chapter book realm and should be much more informative. But I'm also getting a few art vibes, so I'm hoping this one is full of goodness.
Let's go ahead, open it up, and see what's inside!
THE TOMORROW TREE
How Nature Creates New Life From Old
by Maciej Michno and
Danio Miserocchi
Illustrated by Valentina Gottardi
Phaidon Press
Children's Nonfiction
40 pages
ages 6 to 9
A lyrical celebration of the amazing new ecosystem that flourishes after a tree falls.
For the forest, the death of a tree is not a loss but a new beginning. In this unique exploration of nature’s circle of life, young readers can discover how a tree finds fresh purpose after its life ends. Fallen trees provide food and shelter for living things large and small – from insects, fungi, and flowers to mice and bear cubs.
This thoughtful book introduces children to these ecosystems, inviting them to consider life cycles, biodiversity, sustainability, and the environment. With its lush illustrations and informative text, The Tomorrow Tree is a stunning keepsake gift for budding naturalists.
MY TIDBITS
While on its surface, this read concentrates on the decay of a tree and the scientific aspects of everything involved, these pages also carry an artistic layer to make it well-rounded.
The journey begins with a subtle nudge as the illustration of a dreary thunderstorm acts as the backdrop to the Table of Contents. It sticks out just enough to grab a little attention, while glancing over the chapters and page numbers, but first makes sense when the page is flipped to show the fallen tree. This tree is shown in black and white, and first takes on color as the 'second' life begins with insects, fungi, and more. Still, this book isn't only artistic. Rather, it takes a slightly dryer, nonfiction direction in the text as it introduces the various aspects of the decay as well as the different life forms involved. These are presented in an organized fashion with details and information clearly pointed out and explained. Still, the illustrations carry the beauty throughout the book and add a nice balance to the information.
The text fits nicely to those readers, who are sure of their words, but not quite ready to dive into middle grade novels, yet. Some of the vocabulary pushes the word skills, and these terms are added to a glossary at the end. Even the science aspect doesn't talk down to the age group, but lightly nudges toward themes such as mineral transport in the trees, bacteria, and more.
This makes a nice read for classroom themes, homeschoolers, or nature enthusiasts.
And here they are...
Author and illustrator Valentina Gottardi is an illustrator and designer specialising in natural and scientific illustration. She is the founder of the Italian publisher Cocai Books and the Cocai Design studio, creating illustrations from museums, research institutions, cultural organizations, and companies.
Author Maciej Michno is an editor at Cocai Books, an Italian publisher which creates digitally illustrated educational books that focus on the nature which surrounds us, but which we often don’t notice. He is passionate about communicating science through text and images.
Author Danio Miserocchi is a naturalist and teacher. He collaborates with museums and local institutions and cultivates biodiversity through research and outreach activities focused on neglected species of fauna and flora.
No comments:
Post a Comment