Listen to the Language of the Trees: A story of how forests communicate underground

by Tera Kelley, Marie Hermansson (Illustrator)

Overview

This captivating book explores the real connection and communication that runs underground between trees in the forest. The well-researched details about trees' own social network will help readers see that the natural world's survival depends on staying connected and helping others—just like us!

Parents, teachers, and gift givers will find:

• a beautiful story about our forests with scientifically accurate information
• educational backmatter about this underground web of communication
• a nature book that supports social emotional learning

The fascinating mycorrhizal fungi network runs underground through the roots of trees in the forest allowing for connection and communication. Readers will discover that trees have their own social network to help each other survive and thrive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728232188
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tera Kelley was a children's bookseller for six years, and her first book, Ocean Baby, was selected for the ocean curriculum of Santa Cruz's Migrant Head Start Program. She is currently a freelance writer and editor in Northern California, where she works at a local library. Find out more about her work at terakelley.com.

Marie Hermansson is an illustrator who strives to create illustrations that cultivate imagination and spark natural curiosity. When she’s not working, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and going to museums. She lives with her family in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

"Beautifully detailed illustrations... complement the text perfectly" — Youth Services Book Review (STARRED review)

"A gold mine of information... detailed illustrations... [an] informative and engaging book." — Booklist (STARRED review)

"Smart, concise explanations of a tricky topic leave readers only wanting to learn more" — Kirkus Reviews (STARRED)

From the Publisher

★ 2022-08-31
The nature of tree communication is laid out clearly, clarifying some remarkable facts.

A single seedling sprouts at the base of its parent tree (backmatter reveals that the trees are all Douglas firs). As its little roots reach down, they connect with “a silky net of fungi” through which the trees of the forest are able to send messages to one another. The giant tree, towering above, is able to collect enough extra sunlight to send excess food to the seedling. It passes food and water to other trees as well until one day, during a storm, lightning strikes. Burned and battered but not dead, the giant tree is then attacked by an insect hoard. No food exits the tree, but instead, remarkably, the surrounding trees send their own excess food and water back to their ailing compatriot. Meanwhile, the seedling continues to grow. Accompanying at-times poignant text, the book’s rich illustrations remain fairly realistic while using clever visual clues to explain different concepts. For example, to indicate the kind of help that passes among the trees, each type of message sent through the fungi appears as a small colored symbol. The end result drills home this complicated idea of tree communication in a way that many kids will appreciate. Additional photographic backmatter with more information on trees rounds out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Smart, concise explanations of a tricky topic leave readers only wanting to learn more. (activities) (Nonfiction picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews