"Millipedes are among the earliest
known land animals. There were
millipedes before dinosaurs!
They are super burrowers.
They are mostly harmless and
will often curl into a coil if
threatened."
The eternal question about a tree falling in the forest gets a new lease on life when the author explains how the flora and fauna in the forest ecosystem come to the rescue. A new graphic novel in the Little Habitats series features a fern narrator who promises to keep the tree from becoming a log. Fern wants to see the forest get back to normal where trees stand tall. To that end, she will enlist the help of other creatures of the forest to help the tree stand again.
The titles of each of the eight chapters make evident the use of wordplay in describing the efforts considered to ensure her promise is kept. Despite the ideas presented by Millipede and Slug and help from Moth, Lichen and Mushroom, there appears there is little to be done to ensure that tree will rise from the forest floor to its former glory.
Information concerning the particular traits of each member of the forest community is infused with clever wordplay while also offering a clear look at each one. Ultimately, not one of the described forest inhabitants has what it takes to move the huge tree trunk. Only then does Fern recognize that the tree can now take on a very important new role in the ecosystem as a nurse log. The benefits of nurse logs in the forest cannot be overstated. It will provide nutrients, shelter, forest growth, and a surface for plants and even new trees to grow and flourish.
"I guess we FERN-ally figured it out.
It was a LOG time coming."
Combining fact and fiction (faction), Jana Curll will have her readers chuckling time and again with her storytelling. Not only does she share facts in an informational text, she also entertains with her word choice while doing so. What a way to learn something brand new!
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