This Old Madrone Tree

This story of the madrone and its animal neighbors will both comfort and enchant children as they come to understand the timelessness of nature's cycles.

If ever a tree deserved a love letter, it is the Pacific madrone. Barbara Herkert's poetic story charts the life swirling around this luminous tree, from eagles to elk to hummingbirds to fungi, as it patiently stands sentinel through the seasons of the Pacific Northwest. Marlo Garnsworthy's gorgeous paintings bring the tree's scarlet berries, spangles of white flowers, and curls of russet and green bark to life.

1. a map of madrone distribution
2. an animal identification guide
3. further information for parents/teachers
4. free, downloadable curriculum on publisher's website

BARBARA HERKERT is the author of Sleep (Imagine This!), Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist; Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter; and A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from UC Santa Barbara and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. She lives in Port Ludlow, Washington, on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula with a variety of wildlife and a madrone tree for company. To find out more about Barbara and her books, visit www.BarbaraHerkert.com.

MARLO GARNSWORTHY is an Australian-American author, illustrator, editor, and science communicator. Her published works include fiction and nonfiction--with her illustrations being featured most recently in The Turtle Dove's Journey: A Story of Migration by Madeleine Dunphy and Bristlecone: The Secret Life of the World's Oldest Tree by Alexandra Siy. Marlo works with scientists and as an advocate for polar and ocean science and climate change awareness. She lives near the beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. To find out more about Marlo and her books, visit www.IcebirdStudio.com.