Trees as Memorials and Habitats

I live in a region of the country that is blessed with trees (and the water to nurture them). Trees provide food and shelter to wildlife, even in the city, and are long-lived so they are often planted as memorials. So today I’m sharing two books that highlight trees in those roles.

themes: trees, nonfiction, memorial, animals

150,000 Trees: Growing a Memorial for 9/11's Flight 93
by Rebecca Hirsch; illus. by Jacqueline Tam
40 pages; ages 7-10
Tilbury House Publishers, 2026

Many years ago, in the quiet hills of Pennsylvania, a field of grasses whispered shh-hh-hhh to the bright September sky.

As a tiny speck of a plane appears in the distance, Rebecca Hirsch introduces us to the field – one that had long ago been a forest. Once coal was discovered, the land was dug and mined and no more trees grew. Meanwhile the plane is getting closer, and closer until it crashes into that whispering field.

What I like about this book: I like how Rebecca introduces the field as a character, along with the families of passengers and crew killed in the crash of flight 93 on September 11. She shows how, in the following years, people wanted to create a memorial to their loved ones in an act of healing, and also do something to help heal the land, too. I also like the language where she shows how people decided to plant trees and continues over the years until “… tree by tree, person by person, the forest grew.” Back matter provides more information about United Airlines Flight 93 and 9/11 along with a map of the memorial wall and groves, and a personal note from Rebecca.

Congratulations to Rebecca for her book being selected as a Gold Award winner for California Reading Association’s Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award this year. 

We Live in Trees! Amazing Animal Adaptations
by Heather Alexander 
32 pages; ages 4-9
Millbrook Press, 2026

What can live in a tree? Not just anything! 

Some animals just don’t have what it takes to live in a tree. Take dolphins, for example. Or pigs, or elephants! From tails to toes, this book explores the adaptations that allow arboreal animals to be … arboreal. 

What I like about this book: I love that Heather Alexander introduces the word “arboreal” on the first spread. And I like the diversity of animals, from kinkajous to red pandas to tree frogs. We see adaptations that allow climbing up and gliding down, adaptations that provide balance, and some that help an animal blend in to the tree environment. 

I like the fun titles of fact boxes found on every spread: Tail End Fact, Swoosh Fact, and for chameleon, Foot Fact. I also like how, at the end, Heather invites kids to share what they know about animals living in trees and some of their adaptations. Back matter includes suggestions on how kids can help protect tree habitats, a map of the treetop habitats found around the world, and a glossary (with pronunciation guide) for all the cool science words in the book.

Beyond the Books:

Go on a tree walk around your neighborhood or a local park. What kinds of trees do you see? Borrow a field guide from your library that shows trees in your region and learn more about them.

Are there any memorial trees planted around your school or parks? Sometimes they have plaques next to them. Find out more about why they were planted, and why those trees were chosen. You can learn more about the 9/11 memorial trees on this page at the Flight 93 National Memorial.

If you were going to live in a tree, what sort of adaptations would you need? Think about how you would get up, find food, sleep ….

Check out this interview with Heather Alexander at the Lerner Books Blog.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copies provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Look Up!

 This week, Look Up! What do you notice?  Here's what I noticed over the past few days ...

 

Leaves, Migration, Hibernation ~ Seasonal Books for Emergent Readers

 This is the perfect season to check out these new books from Lerner publishing that focus on why leaves change color, why birds migrate, and why animals hibernate. These “First Look” titles are part of Lerner’s Read About Science series (Read for a Better World) and aimed at emergent readers. Written by Candice Ransom, each book spans 24 pages with a first-grade readability level and seasonal science facts that will appeal to ages 5-8.

My grand-kiddo is three fingers away from beginning-to-read, but here’s what I like about these books:

 

For emerging readers, each book poses a question at the beginning and then presents information to help answer the question. For these books, the first page questions are:

Why do birds migrate?
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Where do animals go as days get cooler and nights get longer?

The information is simple and focused on answering the question.

The words are appropriate for the reading age, and I think will give emerging readers a feeling of success and satisfaction. And – one can hope – help them develop the habit of including nonfiction books in their library bookbag. 

Plus, the photographs are engaging.

 

For parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and librarians there is embedded family and educator support, starting with page two. A bright yellow-on-green “educator toolbox” presents three questions an adult can ask before diving into the book. For example, what do you think this book is about? 

A “let’s read together” section presents handy tips such as encouraging the child to use pictures to understand the text. As a former high school science teacher I just want to point out that this is an important skill, and one I reminded my students about constantly! “Look at the chart/graph/photo,” I would say. “What information can you glean from that?” 

Each book has a “You Connect” page where readers are asked three questions including what else they might want to learn about the topic. This is such a great question to ask kids and gets them thinking like a scientist. A “STEM snapshot” page asks them to think a bit more deeply about the topic. Additional back matter includes a photo glossary, suggested books to read, and a simple – and useful – index.

 

Beyond the Books:

What colors do the leaves turn where you live? If it’s not too late to collect a few, bring them in and make some crayon leaf-rubbings using the colors of the leaves.

Have the summer birds left your area already? Which ones fly south? And where are they going?

What to the animals who live in your area do in the winter? Do they migrate? Hibernate? Or stay active all year round?