cover image Ancient Ones

Ancient Ones

Barbara Bash. Gibbs M Smith, $16.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-87156-561-7

Bash adds to her Tree Tales series with a remarkable exploration of the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Scientific information is presented in simple, poetic language that suggests the sounds and sights of the forest (``Bark beetles chew under the bark, engraving delicate galleries where they deposit their eggs''). The design, in which blocks of calligraphy-like text are set against sweeping spreads, permits leisurely wandering through the forest realms, from the bustling byways of a treetop canopy to the teeming waters of a stream. Lush watercolors depict the forest and its denizens, spotted salamanders and golden banana slugs along with the red tree voles and flying squirrels that make their homes in giant Douglas firs. Insets showing insects and fungi (magnification sizes are given) provide windows onto an otherwise hidden world. The gentle ending, in which wildfires and the felling of fir trees allow for the growth of new saplings, beautifully affirms the concept of a cycle of life. Ages 6-10. (Sept.)