Cover Image: Forest Talk

Forest Talk

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Member Reviews

Forest Talk by Melissa Koch was published by Twenty-First Century Books in January this year. It is a young adult nonfiction about trees and their importance in the world.

This book is marketed as a look at the scientists who discovered how trees work together by sharing resources through their root structures as well as send warnings about threats. This sounds like a fascinating look at trees and how they improve the planet while also seeing a little known element about plants. However, getting into this book was difficult. Instead of being the informative environmental book that I was expecting, it gave off a strong spiritual vibe. Perhaps it was the way language was used to describe the networks and impacts but I found myself rather skeptical of the promised information after the first few pages.

The photographs were nice and interesting and there are bits of information that I found interesting, but overall, I had a hard time reading this book without rolling my eyes. Again, I think the familial language used made me skeptical so it might be a turn-off to readers who are otherwise interested in learning more about these plants. .

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"Forest Talk" offers an interesting look at trees. Readers will learn the benefits of forests to human health and wellness, how trees sustain the environment, and the ways trees communicate with each other.
I did enjoy reading "Forest Talk." It includes plenty of research and a large reference section for readers who want to learn more about this topic. The writing style and tone give the book a school report feel, though, and I kept wondering if it was a college class essay. I also get the impression that it's written for a young audience because of the vocabulary explanations and other content.
The conclusion provides ways readers can appreciate trees. I definitely see the forest in a different view after reading "Forest Talk" and am grateful for this reminder to get outside and walk in the woods.

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If you're like me, you'll pick up this book because you care about the environment, and you want to learn everything you can about it, so that you can do your share to help out. The description of this book is something that jumped out to me actually more than the cover, because it just sounded really interesting and I love short non fiction books. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Trees really do make a lot of things in the world, and I think that we take advantage of that. Every single year, over fifteen billion trees are cut down world wide, and every year that number grows, and the demand for products and the world's population grows. What most people don't know, including me until I read this book, is that trees are so much more than just big plants that produce air for us, as well as many of our every day products. Trees actually communicate with each other, mostly through their roots, and they can share nutrients if they feel like a nearby tree is lacking in any.

Trees make everything from food, clothes, and shelter, to medicine and warmth. It's scientifically proven that people really do feel physical and mental benefits from being around trees, and like people, there are mother and baby trees that take care of each other. Stumps can still reproduce asexually and grow buds that can turn into new trees, and when some specific kinds of trees can live to be over four thousand years old, cutting down the trees at the age they are now, or seeing tree farms, just makes me feel sad.

Overall, I learned all these things and more from this short book. It's full of beautiful pictures and charts to teach you kind of a refresher course about how plants live and change the environment around them, and I really feel like I know a lot more about them because of this book. I want to be more conscious of the products I buy, and I think that together, we really might be able to make a change in the world. I recommend this book to everyone, fiction and non fiction lovers everywhere.

Thanks for reading!
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I thought this book was incredibly informative about trees. It wasn't quite what I expected (I was expecting more in depth information about the "tree talk" rather than just a background surrounding trees) but it was definitely interesting, highlighting the importance of trees and their conservation.

This would be a great addition to biology, plant sciences, agriculture, or other environmental courses.

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