Book review by Maggie Wolfe
Reprinted from the Spring 1999 Southern AEOE Newsletter
I never used to use this book because it takes place in the Amazon rainforest and I prefer to use examples closer to home. It is a wonderful book, however, which clearly describes the interdependence of an ecosystem in an engaging story with beautiful illustrations, so I am happy to have found a way to incorporate the book into my weekly lesson plans.
After a day spent studying ecosystems and interdependence out in the forest and the chaparral, I find a magical place to read this story to my students. I introduce the book by saying that although it takes place in the Amazon rainforest, it could take place in any ecosystem, only with different players. I tell them to think about what they have learned about the ecosystems at the outdoor school this week, and how a similar story could be told here.
After reading the story, I give my students a journal assignment to write their own story along similar lines, but using a tree or shrub they have learned about this week and showing how different creatures are dependent on it, either directly or indirectly. I suggest a few ideas, such as “The Great Black Oak,” or “The Great Yucca,” and I remind the students of some of the interconnections we have observed between those species and the other members of the ecosystem.
For students who may have difficulties writing in English or who have low academic performance, I give an alternate assignment. They may choose to tell their stories through drawings, with their chosen species in the center of the page and as many other dependent creatures as possible shown around it in the drawing. Weather permitting, I send the students off to find a “magic spot” to complete the assignment. I have gotten some wonderful stories and drawings from my students which clearly show how much they have learned in the week and illustrate their understanding of the interdependence concept. This would also be a great follow up activity in the classroom and can apply to any ecosystem studied.
The only thing I don't like about this story is that students, in their black and white morality, sometimes only take home the message that "it's bad to cut down trees." I like the book "The Gift of the Tree" because it doesn't have this morality tale aspect, and "Just a Dream," because it places responsibility on each of our shoulders, not just "someone" like the tree cutter in this story. But I use this story in conjunction with those others and discuss this issue with the students. This is definitely a classic in Children's Environmental Literature!