When a Tree Falls: Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest Power
by Kirsten Pendreigh; illus. by Elke Boschinger
Primary    Chronicle    40 pp.
3/25    9781797218670    $18.99

Pendreigh outlines the critical role that a tree plays in its ecosystem, both when it’s alive and upright and after it dies and has fallen. Spare, poetic text emulates the thrum of the forest: “Years pass. / Sapsuckers drill, / hidey-holes fill, / bear cubs rub / and claw.” Standing for years, the tree offers shade and resting places for birds and some mammals. Then, after roots weaken and soil lets loose (“crassshhhh!”), the tree takes on a new use as a nurse log, nurturing the forest in other ways. A collection of earthbound creatures finds “a place to grow, / to rest, / to shelter.” Even as her bark decays, the nurse log continues to provide nutrients to bolster new trees growing atop her; she sustains a cycle of life until the next tree can do the same. Boschinger’s detailed digital illustrations amplify the lushness of a diverse forest biome. Back matter follows a question-and-answer format, offering readers more to learn about the roles of nurse logs in their respective environments.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.