Nature Books for Kids

The Charcoal Forest: How Fire Helps Animals and Plants
By Beth A. Peluso
Mountain Press Publishing, 64 pages, $12 (8 and up)

At first glance the ashen landscape left by a forest fire may appear bereft of life. The Charcoal Forest proves otherwise. One by one, Beth A. Peluso describes the animals and plants found in the northern Rocky Mountains that have adapted to the aftermath of forest fires. “Right after a high severity fire, the forest looks like a big charcoal drawing,” she writes. “But look closer: Beetles feast on the dead wood left by fire, birds dart around gobbling beetles, and plants rush to reclaim newly cleared ground.” Peluso explains that regular blazes are actually essential for many creatures, including the golden blanketflower, which blooms radiantly against a dark tree line, and the black fire beetle, which lays its eggs beneath charred bark. Acrylic illustrations attest to fire’s vitality. A glossary, index, and list of resources will guide kids who want to learn more about these fierce yet fruitful flames.
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The Whale Scientists: Solving the Mystery of Whale Strandings
By Fran Hodgkins
Houghton Mifflin Company, 64 pages, $18 (9–12)

Pinocchio’s journey into the belly of a whale is a chilling portrait of aquatic leviathans—but in truth, whales face their own harrowing dangers. In The Whale Scientists, Fran Hodgkins investigates strandings by examining these marine mammals’ evolution, biology, and controversial relationship with humans. In past centuries “many people saw whales as nothing other than murderous monsters,” she writes, noting that stricter limits on hunting and protection as endangered species have helped bolster some plummeting populations. Stranding is still a problem, however, and underwater sonar tests, collisions with watercraft, and natural phenomena are possible culprits. Kids will be impressed by rescue attempts made by volunteers and groups like the Cape Cod Stranding Network, which patrols the Massachusetts coast for beached marine animals. In one case, the team loaded two stranded young whales into a van for rehabilitation at an aquarium; the duo revived and was released three months later. Fortunately, as Hodgkins attests, “becoming stranded is not an automatic death sentence for [whales],”—but to save them, you’ve got to get your feet wet.—Julie Leibach
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