When a Tree Falls

January 1, 2025
A tree can provide a place for many forest residents to grow, to rest, and to shelter--even after it falls. The comparatively small figures of a multiracial family, glimpsed hiking or sitting on a log for a snack, are clearly entranced by the lovely, lush Pacific Northwest forest setting--readers will be enchanted, too. Pendreigh's spare accompanying narrative is as grand and stately as the trees themselves. Over a span of years, a towering Douglas fir "suns and sways" until it "grows old. / Sap slows. / Roots let go. / Green goes brown. / The tree falls / down" with a crash and begins a "new life" as "Nurse Log." The author anthropomorphizes her subject: "She is a place to grow," and she "mothers" new waves of flora and fauna, from lichen and jelly fungus to towhees and bear cubs. As a reservoir of moisture in drier seasons, the log also nurtures a western hemlock "tree child" that grows from seedling to sapling, "hugs his nurse mother" with roots, and, as the old log crumbles into the soil, rears up over time to become a home and shelter in turn for many species. Pendreigh's afterword underscores the significant role trees play, even after they're dead, in many habitats. It's a profound lesson for young readers to absorb, even as they pore over the expanses of precisely detailed ferns, fungi, and furry forest wildlife in the pictures. Poetic, revealing, and visually delightful.(Informational picture book. 6-9)

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March 1, 2025
Preschool-Grade 1 Treasure, dead bodies, and cursed underwater caves--just a few of the hidden dangers of deep-sea diving. Phoebe and her best friends, the Salt Squad, are halfway around the world from their home in Key West as they document their dive off the coast of Marimont Island; this is their last hurrah before college tears them apart. However, after Phoebe discovers a breathtaking underwater cave, it appears that the force actually destined to tear the Salt Squad apart is the curse that lurks in the deep. Vivid descriptions of both the sea life and the surreal experience of being far below the waves create such an intense appreciation for the natural, alluring danger inherent in diving that the appearance of the curse seems logical rather than fantastical. The tension is airtight throughout, with the artful combination of both a present-day narrative and flashbacks to the night months earlier that cracked the Salt Squad's foundation, building anticipation for a paired reveal. Each character has a depth rarely found in YA thrillers, which manufactures a compulsive narrative that is both plot- and character-driven. Even striving readers will find it difficult to pause their journey with Phoebe and the Salt Squad through the beautiful, deadly ocean around Marimont.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.