Trees: Kings of the Forest by Andy Hirsch

Trees: Kings of the Forest Reviews

• 
  Ardyth

  Unfortunately, this book fails to take advantage of the comic format's particular strengths, or to work around its weaknesses. The result is a firehose of Latinate terminology plus overfilled frames that fail to illuminate the confusing dialogue. Several times, I was unable to figure out which part of a complicated picture the dialogue was discussing.
  
  It feels like this book was created by someone who likes comics but doesn't really understand how or why the good ones work. I kept wondering whether the usual scripting & planning of each page, and each frame on each page, was done before the detailed drawing and lettering began ...
  
  I can't say I learned anything new -- not because I knew everything in the book already, but because I couldn't make head or tails of what I didn't already know well enough to decipher the presentation.
  
  A real shame, because a hybrid format can be very helpful to those of us trying to learn complex things. (See, for example,
  Human Body Theater)
• 
  Karen Holt

  In my retired life, I will study botany! Very informative and up-to-date. Comic science written for children.
• 
  Elisabeth

  4.5 stars.
• 
  Gideon

  Perfect book to share with a grandparent.
• 
  Maximilian Lee

  I LOVED this book because it was very Very VERY informative. It had TONS of information in it. It was about trees! In this book an acorn explained how trees worked. The book was also very funny, like the part when the squirrel wanted to eat the acorn.
• 
  Lindsey

  super fantastic. might be better with middle school but OMG educational and funny!
• 
  Suzanne

  Another volume of Science Comics presents the topic of trees. A lively acorn is educated about the importance of plants and the life of trees. A small frog, a fern leaflet, a squirrel, and a mushroom all help explain things. They show Acorn photosynthesis, the structure of plant cells, and other details. Light absorption, allelochemicals, pollination, and the spread of seeds are explained. His instructors also point out that trees are a keystone species and help with weather control, while also discussing species diversity and convergence. Several illustrations show plants as the bottom of the food pyramid and how Earth is a closed system.
  
  
  This would be a great title to use in a study of plant life, food chains, adaptations and related science topics. A large glossary, a page of facts about acorns, a two-page leaf guide, and suggestions for further reading are in the back matter.
  
  
  Highly recommended for middle grade readers and up. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
• 
  Barbara

  3.5 for this one, another terrific entry in the Science Comics series! In this graphic format, readers learn all sorts of interesting facts about trees and how they grow, survive, and even sense what's going on around them. Starting with an acorn, various animals take him and readers along a journey through forest terrain, simplifying concepts such as photosynthesis, transpiration, symbiosis, and tropism, among others, and explaining how trees reproduce. The colorful panels and easy-to-understand language make this a good choice even for elementary science classrooms while older readers like me can still learn something from reading the book. I especially enjoyed pondering the question of whether trees are plants or all plants are trees. I now have a whole new respect for trees when they start to bud in spring and when their leaves begin to fall in the autumn season. Savvy teachers will know they need to start collecting these books for their own curious students if they want to nurture a curiosity in nature.
• 
  Anita

  I'll never look at trees the same way again, and I thought that I knew a lot about trees. The author covers the essential topics such as photosynthesis and reproduction but also delves into the fascinating world of tree communication and species variety. For example, did you know that a forest of trees can communicate and stay healthier via a mycorrhizal network, i.e., fungi (mushrooms) that send chemical and nutrient information between trees or that Pando is an 80,000 year-old tree that stretches out over 107 acres?
  
  I find this series helpful in introducing and explaining difficult scientific concepts to kids in an accessible and enjoyable format. Students will see these same concepts in future biology courses. For people who are interested in hard science but want to be entertained as well, these Science Comics are for you, too.
  I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Alicia

  An acorn takes us on an adventure in the trees and forests where we meet the leaf and other creatures to tell us the story of the kings of the forest, trees! It builds up to the story of trees and takes a while to get there with plenty of story about the seedlings and growth which then leads to the various kinds of trees and how they grow, how they react to danger, how they protect themselves, and how fungi help the system underground to be the wood wide web that it is.
  
  Like the others, it's an entertaining graphic novel that includes STEM education but it's a fictionalized version of events between non-human characters. It made it clear how important forests and trees are and how we need to protect them because of all they give back to the world, specifically the animals.
  
  Brightly-colored.
• 
  BeeEhn

  Sometimes kids non-fiction books can feel very “no duh” to me. You look at pictures but you don’t really learn anything. With Science Comics though, it’s amazing for both kids and adults.
  
  The vocabulary is really advanced for kids and even uses specific scientific works that escape me. I appreciate that they use them anyway. Concepts are so easy to understand but I actually am surprised by how much I didn’t know about trees. How they operate, survive, and even identify and “spread out” to maximize their species chances of survival. How roots operate. Natural defenses to keep animals from chewing them to death. The weird anti-human page of destruction that probably deserves to be there but was awkward anyway. Yeah. Trees, son.
• 
  Cathy

  The type of book that would’ve kept me interested in science as a kid, filled with amazing illustrations and so much detail.
  
  Narrated by a plucky little acorn who comes upon some forest friends (frog, termite, squirrel, woodpecker) there’s plenty of brain wrinkles to be made: plants sensing gravity with root growth, auxin, monocots, mycorrhizal networks, and tree communication?! (Made me think of the Wish Tree by Applegate).
  
  As the entomologist noted in the intro: trees do so much more than just stand there. After reading this, I walked out to observe trees with a new appreciation.
  
  Keep the Science Comics series coming, they’re great for adults too!
  
• 
  Melissa

  I know so much more about trees that I never knew! I mean, trees do so much I just never thought about before! And they're so diverse! Also, Squirrel was my favorite narrator character and I do hope he finds some nuts to eat soon :-)
  
  My only little complaint is that there were some very difficult science words in this one that younger readers especially (but even myself!) would benefit from having the pronunciation list too. Even if it was just in the back glossary, that would've been helpful!
• 
  Denise

  I received a copy of this book from #netgalley to preview.
  
  This Science Comic series is one of my favorite recently released non-fiction graphic novel series. They are fun to read, full of information, and the art and coloring is really well done.
  
  There was so much information in Trees that I had no clue about and this made it a really interesting read. This is one that I would highly recommend and would stock in my library.
• 
  SaraKat

  Great book! It explains everything about plants and trees and how they fit into the ecosystem. I learned some things that I didn't even know. I think they have figured out a bunch of new things since I took Botany in college. :) The characters are silly, but they don't talk down to the reader too much and there are humorous moments to break up all the exposition. I am definitely adding this one to my classroom library!
• 
  Ghanisse Gabrielle

  Tons of awesome information with detailed graphics, but a very difficult read! I will say it finally found a rhythm and picked up a bit about half way through. I Would consider using as a resource in my classroom during related units but could never use this as a read aloud. I couldn't pronounce most of the words on the first try so I feel that this would be a discouraging book for independent reading.
• 
  KB

  Trees: Kings of the Forest offers a highly enjoyable introduction to the biology of trees. The protagonist of the narrative is an adorable anthropomorphic acorn who is guided on a journey of scientific enlightenment by various other forest denizens. Pleasantly colorful artwork illustrates the concepts that are explained along the way.
  This worthwhile graphic novel is best suited for adolescents ages ten and up, although adults will also find it to be quite entertaining and informative.
• 
  Celeste

  I enjoy this graphic novel series because it takes a deep look at something as common as trees and explains it scientifically with pictures so that someone as unscientific as me can understand. I've enjoyed the Science Comics on dogs and coral reefs as well (the robot one wasn't my favorite). They are best understood by middle or high school age and older.
• 
  Sara Tiede

  This is a great non fiction series for kids. The characters help give the information clarification as well as purpose, and the graphic format makes complex subjects easier to visualize for younger learners. I read it with my 6 year old, and her biggest "wow!" moment was seeing how big the fungal and rrot network could be. Great addition to children's publishing!
• 
  Mary T

  I really enjoy these books and feel like I learn a lot. I read this to my two oldest sons when we were studying botany, just as we had read the one on coral reefs when we were studying marine biology. I especially loved the part about the underground fungal network connecting trees. This blew my mind!
• 
  Enci Box

  Fantastic, fantastic book about trees that everyone should read, not just kids! This book has lots of humor that even little ones get. The drawings are simple and clear and every time after we read a few pages we went out into nature with more wonder and respect. Highly recommend this book to everyone, kids and grownups alike!
• 
  Sesana

  I didn't love this one. It turns out that this was just more information about the biology of trees than I really wanted in my life. It also features one of my least favorite framing devices in Science Comics, multiple narrators. But it is very informative, and it goes beyond just the general biology of a tree to how they interact with their climates, animals, other plants, and even other trees.
• 
  Anna

  Super cute illustrations and a ton of information! Of course it talked about one of my favorite things about trees: the fungi network that connects trees and allows them to communicate and share resources. I just love trees so much!!
• 
  Christina

  Picked this up for my 8 year old and gave it a read myself. This is a wonderful resource with a ton of information and vocabulary, explained in a very engaging way. I'm excited to check out the rest in this series!
• 
  Raven Black

  While it is a fun book and can teach a lot (while having a lot of giggles) it was harder than the other books I've read in this series. Plants/trees are not something we think about, therefore, not something many of us have knowledge of. With that said, this is why we need to read this book!
• 
  Mandy

  I learned a lot from this book, but I think some parts could have been explained in simpler, more accessible terms, seeing as this is a book for kids. I particularly loved learning about Pando (look it up!) and about the network of underground fungi that connect trees. Very cool.
• 
  Anthony

  An in-depth, but easily understood look at the trees through science. This educational comic book in graphic format explores and explains how trees grow and contribute to the world around us. Their usefulness, survival, and their make-up in the world of plants and animals.