Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem

PreS-Gr 3–Cole takes readers on a gentle journey via this beautifully illustrated guide to a mighty oak tree’s life. He begins with where this life starts: a blue jay dropping an acorn on the forest floor. Readers follow the tree from acorn to sapling to trunk for over two centuries. As the tree grows taller and stronger, readers see the different animals that live in it over the years and the seasons it survives. Eventually, people create homes around the tree until it becomes a special part of a small town; it is a tree for all. Incredibly detailed illustrations were created using Micron pens on Bristol paper, all in black and white. At the end of the book, Cole includes small glimpses of “How to Build an Ecosystem” and “Forest Habitat Layers.” Throughout the text there are larger vocabulary words introduced, making this a title for more advanced readers; it also works for the nature-obsessed child who already has a working knowledge of trees and natural life.