March 2009
Habitat Restoration
In doing research for QuickReads I’ve come across some interesting websites containing science and social studies content. Just early this year I came across this story about habitat restoration and it has stayed with me since then. The Discover magazine article got me thinking about a book we had used for a QuickReads topic called How the Forest Grew. Of course I started to wonder if there are other wonderful books on habitat restoration. Here are a few that I found.
Enjoy!
p.s. A few weeks ago NSTA released their 2009 list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12.
How the Forest Grew
Written by William Jaspersohn
Illustrated by Chuck Eckart
This is one of those books that can be described as quiet beauty. Originally published in 1980, How the Forest Grew is not flashy or even colorful but it is a true gem. The book traces the slow restoration of a plowed field back into a hardwood forest in Massachusetts. First the plowed field used for farming is overgrown with weeds and is considered a meadow. Next fast growing sun loving trees take over and the meadow turns into a forest. Next slower growing and shade loving trees start to take over and the forest floor. At each stage of transformation the author describes the animals and plants that inhabit the new habitat. The simplistic text mirrors the quiet and fluid changes the habitat undergoes.