FOREST LEGEND

THE TALE OF OL’ SPLIT TOE

by Dan Ellens ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2026

In Ellens’ novel, a deer magically journeys through various eras, witnessing the stages of a Michigan forest’s long life.

A buck with “massive antlers” lives near an Ojibwe village in 1409. He adopts the name Waawaashkeshi, which the Ojibwe call him, and manages to survive run-ins with a young but skilled hunter. He also hears the voices of the natural spirits, who one day call Waawaashkeshi to a “natural time portal” located at a river crossing. He winds up in 8500 B.C.E. and witnesses the apparent beginnings of the forest. There are mastodons in this era, as well as much more dangerous dire wolves, which stalk him. Waawaashkeshi goes to the river crossing whenever the spirits call him, although the portal will only open during an eclipse. He next travels to 1870 C.E., when the Ojibwe no longer reside in the region and loggers are actively chopping down trees. He takes on a new name, courtesy of European settlers: Ol’ Split Toe, after his unique hoofprint. Split Toe’s subsequent travels, which are primarily into the future, show him all sorts of ordeals that his Michigan forest home endures throughout the centuries—loggers use dynamite, people sell off parcels of land, and roads and railways pop up. Not every human he encounters sets out to harm Mother Nature; some, in fact, fight to preserve the forest, including members of two pioneering families who have lived in the area for generations. The trees even choose to speak with a couple of these humans, recognizing that they, like Split Toe, are kindred souls.

Ellens’ story is, perhaps unsurprisingly, deliberately paced (Split Toe occasionally spends a number of years in a single time period before finally moving on). Readers will instantly warm up to the antlered hero, who loves the forest and has compassion for others. The narrative finds opportunities to showcase Split Toe’s personality, as in his brief conversations with a flea that, while annoying, is a quasi-companion for the time traveler. He faces assorted dilemmas, including human intervention ruining his chance of entering a new era and the trials of deer-hunting season (a tradition that Split Toe is initially completely unaware of). The story periodically shifts focus to other characters, such as pioneers and a couple of farmers named Angus and Grace. Throughout, references to real-life history crop up, from the Spanish flu pandemic to a Michigan contamination crisis in the 1970s. The author’s sustainability theme is unmistakable; Split Toe watches the natural world take endless hits from 20th-century humans as an ominous refrain consistently rings out: “There are many ways for a tree to die.” The wonders of forests and all of their inhabitants take center stage, celebrated by Ellens in sincere, unassuming prose: “A pileated woodpecker created a large hole in a mature aspen. It was not long before a wood duck hen assumed residence in the hole…When the hen flew from her nest in the tree, her mate followed, and together they made a low sortie along the river, landing at one of its dark pools.”

An endearing protagonist highlights this environmental message that packs a punch.

Pub Date: March 18, 2026

ISBN: 9781968761073

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Mission Point Press

Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2026

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ANIMALS | TIME TRAVEL