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A Forest in the City

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“Imagine a city draped in a blanket of green … Is this the city you know?”

This book of narrative non-fiction looks at the urban forest, starting with a bird’s-eye view of the tree canopy, then swooping down to street level, digging deep into the ground, then moving up through a tree’s trunk, back into the leaves and branches.

It discusses the problems that city trees face, such as the abundance of concrete, poor soil, and challenging light conditions. It traces the history of trees in cities over time, showing how industrialization and the growth of populations in urban centers led to the creation of places like Central Park in New York City, where people could enjoy nature and clean air. It wasn’t until Dutch Elm disease swept across North America, killing hundreds of thousands of trees, that people realized how important trees are to our cities.

So how can we create a healthy environment for city trees? Some urban foresters are trying to create better growing conditions using specially designed soil trenches or planters, they are planting diverse species to reduce the harm of invasive pests, and they are maintaining trees as they age, among a number of other strategies.

The urban forest is a complex ecosystem, and we are a part of it. Trees make our cities more beautiful and provide shade but they also fight climate change and pollution, benefit our health and connections to one another, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and much more. It is vital that we nurture our city forests.

Includes a list of activities to help the urban forest and a glossary.

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2020

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About the author

Andrea Curtis

16 books24 followers
Andrea Curtis is an award-winning writer in Toronto whose books have been published around the world. She writes for both adults and children.

Her most recent kids' books are Barnaby (Owlkids) and City of Water (Groundwood). She is also the author of A Forest in the City (Groundwood), Eat This! How Fast Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (and How to Fight Back) and What's for Lunch? from Red Deer Press.

Her first YA novel is Big Water, published by Orca. It's inspired by the true story of a shipwreck on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, and the harrowing experience of the two teenaged survivors.

Her most recent adult book, written with Nick Saul, is the National Bestseller, The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement. It is published by Random House Canada and Melville House Press in the US and UK. It was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and won the Taste Canada Award for Culinary Narratives.

Andrea's critically acclaimed creative nonfiction book Into the Blue: Family Secrets and the Search for a Great Lakes Shipwreck (Random House) won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.

Andrea lives in Toronto, Canada, with her family.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Nora.
265 reviews10 followers
June 25, 2021
I will be purchasing this book after reading a library copy. The illustrations are terrific and the content, though some may consider it a bit text dense, is appropriate for the age level of other non-fiction children’s books in the library’s collection, and its written by a Toronto author.
Profile Image for Maya.
531 reviews12 followers
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January 5, 2021
As a tree lover, I really liked this book. But the book is having a bit of an identity crisis. The illustrations are pleasing and just right for a picture book, but the text is dense, small in size, and overly sophisticated for its format. I'm wondering who the intended reader is intended to be?

As an adult, this was an interesting, helpful book that I learned a good deal from from and look forward to following up for further reading, especially about the urban tree management plans for major North American cities.

Read as an ebook (which did not seem to affect the formatting).
Profile Image for June Jacobs.
Author 43 books152 followers
August 3, 2020
This book is the the first installment of the publisher's 'ThinkCities' series. The picture book format of this book is perfect for the subject matter and the art work included with its covers.

This book covers earth science, environmental science, history of trees, botany, city planning, engineering, public health, and sociology. There is so much information included in this book that it will make a perfect thematic unit of study for a middle-grade classroom.

The author begins by explaining why cities are difficult places for trees to thrive and to even survive. Lack of rainwater, pollution, heat, and lack of sunlight all contribute to the challenges trees must overcome in order to flourish in 'our concrete jungles'. (page 4)

The illustrator's artwork effectively supports the author's narrative. I really liked the manner in which he drew a forest and a city street as a 'slice' drawing showing the ground beneath these areas.

Here's a link to the publisher's website which shows three pages from the book: BOOK'S PAGE ON PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE

This book is rich with higher-level vocabulary, beautiful illustrations of diverse citizens living together in diverse communities, and excellent Back Matter. 'Speak for the trees!' is a section after the main narrative which encourages readers to be advocates for trees in their home communities. The 'Glossary' includes many scientific terms used in the book. 'Selected Sources' includes several websites where students and teachers will find more information on the subject.

Note: On the publisher's website the grade level recommendation for this book is: Grades 3-7.

Highly-recommended for teachers, librarians, families, scout groups, and adults who want to learn a lot about the how and why trees don't survive in the city.

I borrowed this book from the 'New Arrivals' shelf in the local public library.

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808 reviews86 followers
January 20, 2023
Although I can't imagine there are birds that are too noisy for people!
56 reviews
May 4, 2021
This is a cool nonfiction book that educates readers on trees. It teaches about trees in the cities and all of the issues and benefits of this. Trees have really big roots that need lots of space to grow, but in cities they can't always grow as much as they need to be healthy and big. This book talked about the past with trees being cut down to build cities, roads, and homes. Then trees were planted in specific parks to help with the air quality and the need for more natural trees and plants. Then it talks about the fungus after World War 1 that killed all of the elm trees everywhere. people realized how important the trees were after this. This book is a great educational book that teaches about the history and future of trees.
Profile Image for Terry.
61 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2021
I loved the illustrations and the message of this book. However, I’m confused as to the audience. While the illustrations would certainly appeal to younger readers, the vocabulary is a bit beyond that age group and perhaps even beyond some middle grade readers as well. I’m not sure that older secondary school students would be attracted to a picture book. That said, used with some imagination and flexibility, this book could be a nice addendum to science and even social studies curricula at a variety of levels. Adults coukd benefit from reading it too.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,696 reviews54 followers
June 18, 2021
A Forest in the City is an interesting and engaging nonfiction picture book for introducing older picture book readers to urban forestry. My city has the nickname "Forest City" so it wasn't surprising to see that a lot (but not all) of the featured ideals for urban forestry are present where I live. I did read its sequel, City of Water, first, which was a bit better if I'm honest, but this was still quite informative and gets important information (and tips at the end!) out there. Recommended.
Profile Image for Viviane Elbee.
Author 2 books54 followers
September 1, 2021
This non-fiction picture book is aimed towards elementary students and middle schoolers, with a very thorough introduction to urban forestry - the history of trees in cities, the benefits of trees in cities, the problems, the maintenance, and the wildlife urban trees support.
Children who are interested in trees and who care about the environment may enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Beverly.
3,438 reviews23 followers
August 10, 2020
Possible contender for the Mock Caldecott Awards. For an older child who is curious about nature and/or ecology. An encompassing look at how trees in our urban areas should be treated to keep them healthy and why it is important to maintain them and their inhabitants.
Profile Image for Carla.
766 reviews
September 10, 2021
I didn't know what this book was about going in (it was another Hoopla bonus borrow). I didn't expect it to be an informative guide to understanding city silviculture! I thought this was informative, and never dumbed down its content to make it more accessible for kids. I think it'd be a great read for older kiddos, but I wish it had a few more attainable suggestions on how kids can get involved in city forestry.
Profile Image for Boom!.
247 reviews2 followers
March 22, 2020
Very much enjoyed this! So many interesting historical facts and scientific information is crammed subtly into these beautifully illustrated pages kids will not balk at its educational content.
Profile Image for Big.
Author 1 book1 follower
November 21, 2020
The text of this book reads like a news story written for adults or perhaps a textbook. As I often say these days, who your audience. This picture book has NOT been written for young children.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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