574.5

I really enjoyed this book. An informative story about how a tree falling in the woods becomes a home and meal for so many creatures helps the reader understand the cycle of tree decomposition. The most amazing part of this book is the illustrations. The illustrations looks like real specimens from nature but are actually water color paintings that are super realistic. I think children will love looking at the pictures and picking out every little detail that makes the illustrations so engaging. ( )

discusses the different animals and insects that have been living in a particular log in the forest. a fun discussion of the environment and how it works
3 books

My favorite ecosystem book this month in the Children's Books group. The illustrations are just incredible. All paper, even the slugs & salamanders - wow. I also liked the different perspectives, the birds-eye view of the trees in the beginning, and of the porcupine when the tree fell, for example. My son (16) says the pictures are better than real, and beautiful. And I managed to learn a few things, even about this relatively familiar ecosystem. ( )

With an informative text from Wendy Pfeffer, a prolific picture-book author with many scientific and ecological titles under her belt, and lovely collage art from Robin Brickman, A Log's Life manages to be both educational and engaging, presenting the tale of a tree's death and decay, in the form of a fallen log, and the new arboreal life that springs up in its place, as it disintegrates. A host of species, from various insects to a porcupine, live off the log as it decays, demonstrating the importance of this seemingly "dead" phase of a tree's life-cycle, while the rich earth that comes from its final disintegration provides the material that a fallen acorn needs to eventually sprout.

Although I don't know that I would list her as one of my favorite authors, when it comes to children's non-fiction, I have come to think of Wendy Pfeffer as a very dependable contributor to the field. I have enjoyed her exploration of the seasons (A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox, We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season), as well as various ecosystems (Life in a Coral Reef), and A Log's Life is another one to add to the list of her appealing non-fiction selections. The central idea, in which the life cycles of various species are all tied together through their use of and residence in a tree (and then a log), is well communicated. The artwork, which sometimes seems like it must include actual leaves, and other natural specimens, is created entirely from paper which has been cut, painted and sculpted. Its effect is to place the reader right into the scene being discussed, making the text even stronger than it would otherwise have been.

In short, this is a picture-book that works, and I recommend it to all young nature lovers and would-be ecologists, who will delight in its visual detail, and possibly learn a little bit about an important aspect of a woodland habitat. ( )