The Wisdom of Trees by Lita Judge

The Wisdom of Trees shows how trees function as a community in cooperation, not competition.

The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom by Lita Judge.

Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 6-10

“I am a single beech,/ but I am not alone./ Together with my fellow trees,/ we form a secret kingdom.” The study of tree ecosystems is relatively new and positively exciting, as the first few pages of this fascinating picture book show. Trees communicate with each other (through an extensive system of root fungi), they help each other fight off diseases, they counterattack invasive insects, and they establish support systems that extend for miles.

Each double-page spread contains a poem, a water-color illustration, and a sidebar with factual information about the life cycle and coping mechanisms of trees. In the appendix, the author shares her personal, almost mystical bond with trees, dating back to a thousand-year oak she met on a hiking trip. Further information about each topic round out the appendix. There’s a heavy environmentalist slant (plus a note from the publisher touting their paper recycling policy!) but after this tour of the arbor-world you may just be eager to sign on.

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader

• Review: See our review of Lita Judge’s humorous picture book, Flight School.
• Review: Trees: a Rooted History takes readers all over the world to discover the tallest, densest, heaviest, oldest, and weirdest, in a glorious and colorful oversize format.
• Resource: Love Your Yard: a list of Nature Study Books to Spark “Creation Appreciation.”
  

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