The Mother Tree

PreS-Gr 3–In the woods where Sadie and her mother live, each tree is alive and a friend. As they walk through the woods, Sadie’s mother describes the symbiotic relationship between trees and humans, and how we “share breath with the trees.” Sadie keeps a notebook of her observations, noting mushrooms, birds, and wildlife who also call the forest home. The one tree that Sadie especially loves is the mother tree, a 200-year-old beech that feeds the younger trees through fungal threads to their roots. One day, Sadie is alarmed to notice orange circles spray-painted on the trees, including the mother tree. Sadie’s momma explains that trees provide many of the things we use every day like the paper and pencil Sadie uses, the house that provides them with shelter, and even their salad bowl. When the loggers arrive, Sadie writes a letter to the loggers and attaches it to the mother tree. When the logging is complete, she is sad to see that all the trees have been cut down, but thanks to her note, her mother tree was spared. The final image depicts Sadie and her mother walking under the mother tree past a variety of wild animals that call the mother tree home. Soothing, bright-colored illustrations in charcoal, watercolor, and digital media integrate seamlessly with the text inviting readers along with Sadie and her mother who are represented as white. The end pages encourage kids to help protect forests, especially mother trees, and includes information about how to do so, along with helpful web links.