How the Forest Grew

This is a lovely book that shows the change that happens over decades of natural growth. It encourages the reader to look around and imagine what the land around them might have looked like years ago. I love the activity suggestions at the end of the book.

This book talked about the creation of the forest and showed a narrative timeline of the birth, growth, and death or forests and the natural processes that happen in the forest. This book looks at the animals that live under and in these trees and how the trees grow and get food while providing food and shelter for other creatures. Throughout the story, there are italicized vocabulary words and the definitions in sentences inside the passage not in a chart of off to the side which is a nice change. I could see using this for a forest unit or a 4th grade Oregon trail supplement on the creation of the forests around here. I liked this because it showed the relationship between weather, trees, grubs, and animals and gave a brief overview show more of a life cycle and a habitat. It also showed some symbiotic relationships between animals and forests. I would use this in a science unit or incorporate history and art by making a tree timeline or a creature feature of the bugs and animals that lived around these first trees and the food that they ate. show less

Genre: Informational
Age Appropriatenss: Primary
Review: This book was a great example of an informational book. It had amazing illustrations that complimented the writing very well. The information was accurate and I felt that it did a good job making the point that all forests grow in the same way as the one discussed in the book. Because it was informational, there were no characters or plot.

Media: Pencil

Really lovely line drawings, and nice information, especially if you are near a forest and can explore some of the phenomena mentioned.