Tree of Life
A lift-the-flap book about the animals, plants, and fungi that live in trees, written by pioneering tree scientist Nalini Nadkarni.
A single tree can be home to hundreds of different species. This joyous book highlights some of the best tree habitats in the world, with plenty of fun things for young readers to spot in each stunning illustration by Kendra Binney. After spying a creature hidden in the foliage they can lift a flap to learn more about it.
The book includes famous trees like coast redwoods and ancient oaks, as well as some species kids might be less familiar with – like the dragon blood tree of Yemen! They will meet swinging orangutans in the dipterocarp trees of Asia, witness elephants drinking from wells inside the baobab trees of Africa, and spy some sleepy koalas in the eucalyptus trees of Australia. The Tree of Life also looks at the importance of these giants on human societies, such as the Hindu festivals that take place among the roots of the Indian banyan.
By the end of the book kids will have a new-found appreciation for the role trees play in ecosystems all over the world.
Nalini Nadkarni, also known as the “Queen of the Forest Canopy”, is a celebrated ecologist who pioneered the use of mountain-climbing equipment to study the rainforest canopies of Costa Rica in the 1980s. In 2019, Mattel introduced a Barbie doll based on Nadkarni! Nadkarni frequently goes into prisons to teach the inmates about trees.
Kendra Binney is a nature-loving painter, draw-er, pet-collecting mess-maker. All of her best clothes are covered in dirt, paint, and animal hair.