The Mother Tree

Mother trees get their due in this affecting tale with detailed and sensitive storytelling by Rosen. On regular forest walks with Momma, Sadie jots down observations in a notebook (its contents pictured for readers), and the pair discuss the connection they feel with surrounding flora: “We share breath with the trees.” One particular specimen—“a great two-hundred-year-old beech with a trunk like an elephant’s leg”—gives Momma the chance to educate about the way a mother tree “feeds the younger trees through their roots.” It’s a lesson that proves useful when spray paint announces loggers’ arrival and Sadie must consider what can be done for the beloved landscape. Gently shaded charcoal, watercolor, and digital artwork by Carpenter emotively presents the pale-skinned protagonist’s evident worry as their action becomes a prime example of how care—within and across species—can have an outsize impact. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)