Log Life (Tiny Habitats)

Hevron celebrates the vibrant and centuries-spanning life of a nurse log in this spirited tribute. After the dramatic collapse of a fir tree, text utilizes a storybook-like tone as flora and fauna alike begin to call the newly fallen log home. Year one sees a “big, mushroomy party! Hooray!” in spring. “Snails vacayed in the decay” one summer a decade later; the log hosts critters big and little at the autumnal 100-year mark; and at year 500, the woody subject welcomes wintertime mammals as they “cuddled inside.” Very slowly, the log is replaced by a new fir poised to repeat the cycle. Accompanying artwork highlights woodgrain textures as it collages acrylic, marker, and pencil elements, including a bevy of companionable and chatty creatures making remarks via speech balloons. The effect is at once an endearing and enlightening portrait of a log’s becoming essential for a healthy forest ecosystem. A closing note sets the story in a Pacific Northwest old-growth, temperate rainforest. Ages up to 8. (Feb.)