THE MOTHER TREE

Can a child help stop the destruction of a beloved tree?

Sadie and her mother walk through the forest greeting trees like old friends. One of their favorites is a “two-hundred-year-old beech with a trunk like an elephant’s leg.” This beech, called a mother tree, helps feed others by cooperating with fungi to bring nutrients to new saplings through its root system. When spray-painted orange circles appear on some of the trees, Sadie discovers that loggers will be cutting them down to make paper. Carpenter perfectly captures the emotional wallop of the moment by juxtaposing two spreads: a close-up of Momma revealing the sad news and a long view of the girl sprinting off, the orange circles surrounding her ominously. Devastated to learn that the mother tree is slated to be cut down, Sadie vows never to use paper again; Momma tenderly explains that it’s OK to use the resources that trees generously give to us as long as they aren’t wasted. Sadie hatches a plan to save the beech tree, because “the new forest will need her and we need the oxygen.” Rosen doesn’t sugarcoat the drama of hearing saws whining and the thuds of falling trees, emphasized by Carpenter’s sly details (a table lampshade and a teacup jostled by the vibrations). The stark, denuded landscape that follows brings tears, but also some joy as Sadie realizes she has the power to effect change. Sadie and Momma are pale-skinned and dark-haired.

A heartfelt, empowering STEM story.