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11 March 2009

How The Forest Grew

Written by William Jaspersohn; Illustrated by Chuck Eckart

This is one of those books that can be described as quiet beauty. Originally published in 1980, How the Forest Grew is not flashy or even colorful but it is a true gem. The book traces the slow restoration of a plowed field back into a hardwood forest in Massachusetts. First the plowed field used for farming is overgrown with weeds and is considered a meadow. Next fast growing sun loving trees take over and the meadow turns into a forest. Next slower growing and shade loving trees start to take over and the forest floor. At each stage of transformation the author describes the animals and plants that inhabit the new habitat. The simplistic text mirrors the quiet and fluid changes the habitat undergoes.