Whether exploring the impact of climate change or the restoration of forests, several new books examine individual trees, tree ecology, and forests of the world.
The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth
Ben Rawlence, Feb 2022, St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees
Combining storytelling with science, Rawlence takes readers on a quest to learn about the impact of climate change on the trees of the boreal forest.
Take-aways: Use the locations described in the book to engage students in a discussion about the shifting treelines around the world.
Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet
John W. Reid & Thomas E. Lovejoy, Mar 2022, W.W. Norton & Company
Themes: Nature, Forests, Trees
An economist and a biologist explore the five remaining megaforests of the world and discuss what it will take to save them.
Take-aways: Of particular note is the connection between the forests and the inhabitants in each region. Involve students in an in-depth exploration of one of these forests.
A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature
Fred Pearce, Apr 2022, Greystone Books
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees
Pearce weaves interviews with indigenous people into an exploration of forests of the world, their destruction, and their recovery.
Take-aways: Pearce’s investigation provides a wide range of ideas for forest recovery that address the many forces driving change. Involve youth in discussing these forces.
Now is the Time for Trees:Making an Impact by Planting the Earth’s Most Valuable Resource
Arbor Day Foundation, Apr 2022, Timber Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group
Themes: Nature, Plants, Trees
Filled with photographs, this book celebrates trees and the global movement to plant them. While highlighting large-scale tree conservation programs, it also provides guidance for individuals inspired to plant trees themselves.
Take-aways: Use the examples in this book to inspire young people to become tree advocates. Ask them to select the conservation program they think will have a lasting impact.
White Pine: The Natural and Human History of a Foundational American Tree
John Pastor, Jan 2023, Island Press
Themes: Science, Natural History, Trees
From the 17th century through today, John Pastor traces the history of the white pine tree with an emphasis on restoring white pine forests and looming issue of climate change.
Take-aways: Using the white pine as an example, ask youth to trace the past, present, and future of another tree.
The Hidden Company that Trees Keep: Life from Treetops to Root Tips
James B. Nardi, Feb 2023, Princeton University Press
Themes: Nature, Science, Natural History, Trees
Featuring detailed drawings, Nardi describes the many forms of life that thrive in and around a tree. Nardi’s unique approach to the tree community is chuck-full of fascinating facts.
Take-aways: Use this book to inspire youth to focus on the life in a specific local tree.
Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb
