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A lyrical story of an aspen grove through the seasons, inspired by the ground-breaking work of Dr. Suzanne Simard on how trees talk to each other.
A lyrical story of an aspen grove through the seasons, inspired by the ground-breaking work of Dr. Suzanne Simard on how trees and fungi talk to each other.
In early spring, the Mother Tree wakens. She is hundreds of years old, and her children are the sprouts that she sends up from her roots. They look like many separate trees, but they are all part of the Mother Tree.
Above ground, the aspens use the sun to produce sugar. Below ground, fungi wrap threads around the aspen's roots, feeding on the sugar that they cannot make themselves. And in exchange, the fungi carry messages from tree to tree - warnings of drought, disease and infestations.
Through the seasons and years, the Mother Tree shelters and feeds the other trees, the animals that make their home in the grove and the fungi that make it possible for the trees to talk to each other. But when a violent storm upends the order of things, can the forest survive without its Mother Tree?
This story of symbiosis, richly illustrated by Crystal Smith, shows how the forest inhabitants thrive by working together. An author's note explains the significance of mycorrhizal networks and why it is crucial to protect aspen forests.
Key Text Features
Illustrations
author's note
further information
resources
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.4
Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.3
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
Illustrations;author's note;further information;resources
• Annette LeBox was inspired to write this book by Dr. Suzanne Simard's research.
• Simard's memoir, Finding the Mother Tree, was a New York Times bestseller. Film rights were purchased in 2021 by production companies fronted by Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, with Adams set to star.
• The Netflix film Fantastic Fungi also dives into and explains underground fungal networks that help trees communicate.
• The text and illustrations were checked by Dr. Allen Larocque, a former student of Dr. Simard's.
• Annette was personally inspired by the aspen and pine forest at her cabin in the BC interior. She has also spent time at the camp at Fairy Creek as a forest protector to try to save thousand-year-old mother trees from being logged.
• Annette's previous picture book, Peace Is an Offering, sold more than a million copies and was chosen for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for several years running. She is also the author of enduringly popular backlist Groundwood title Salmon Creek.
A lyrical story of an aspen grove through the seasons, inspired by the ground-breaking work of Dr. Suzanne Simard on how trees and fungi talk to each other.
In early spring, the Mother Tree wakens. She is hundreds of years old, and her children are the sprouts that she sends up from her roots. They look like many separate trees, but they are all part of the Mother Tree.
Above ground, the aspens use the sun to produce sugar. Below ground, fungi wrap threads around the aspen's roots, feeding on the sugar that they cannot make themselves. And in exchange, the fungi carry messages from tree to tree - warnings of drought, disease and infestations.
Through the seasons and years, the Mother Tree shelters and feeds the other trees, the animals that make their home in the grove and the fungi that make it possible for the trees to talk to each other. But when a violent storm upends the order of things, can the forest survive without its Mother Tree?
This story of symbiosis, richly illustrated by Crystal Smith, shows how the forest inhabitants thrive by working together. An author's note explains the significance of mycorrhizal networks and why it is crucial to protect aspen forests.
Key Text Features
Illustrations
author's note
further information
resources
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.4
Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.3
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
Illustrations;author's note;further information;resources
• Annette LeBox was inspired to write this book by Dr. Suzanne Simard's research.
• Simard's memoir, Finding the Mother Tree, was a New York Times bestseller. Film rights were purchased in 2021 by production companies fronted by Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, with Adams set to star.
• The Netflix film Fantastic Fungi also dives into and explains underground fungal networks that help trees communicate.
• The text and illustrations were checked by Dr. Allen Larocque, a former student of Dr. Simard's.
• Annette was personally inspired by the aspen and pine forest at her cabin in the BC interior. She has also spent time at the camp at Fairy Creek as a forest protector to try to save thousand-year-old mother trees from being logged.
• Annette's previous picture book, Peace Is an Offering, sold more than a million copies and was chosen for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for several years running. She is also the author of enduringly popular backlist Groundwood title Salmon Creek.