  | Gentle genius of trees Author: Bunting, Philip | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
What could we clever humans ever learn from trees? Find out when you take a stroll through the woods and learn a few life lessons from our foliaged friends.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (00/02/23)
Booklist (+) (12/01/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (+) (00/12/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 12/01/2022 *Starred Review* In a terrific tribute to the “wood-wide web,” the author of How Did I Get Here? (2019) offers a mini disquisition rich in both philosophy and scientific fact. He begins with the latter, explaining how photosynthesis creates glucose for nourishment and releases oxygen, how trees grow toward sunlight and adapt to changing conditions, and even how they communicate and help one another out through root systems (their “subterranean cerebrum”) connected by fungal networks. He then invites readers to see from their example the value of belonging to a community, of helping others, and of branching out to find “things that give you the most energy.” Occasional wordplay (“How do you make an oak tree laugh?” “Tell it acorn-y joke”) and googly eyes attached to almost every trunk or close-up leaf in the simply drawn illustrations keep both the informational load and the overall tone light. Having made the point that “what is good for the forest is good for the tree. And what is good for the tree is good for you and me,” he closes with one final bit of woodland wisdom: “Grow slow, grow strong.” Definitely a more salutary message than the “life” (or, more accurately, “death”) lesson of The Giving Tree. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
