Embark on an enchanting journey through the soulful pages of "Pando," a mesmerizing tribute to nature's resilience and the interconnected wonders of a grove of quaking Aspen trees. Authored by Kate Allen Fox and brought to life by the award-winning artist Turine Tran, this book is not just a narrative but a lyrical celebration of one of the world's oldest and largest living beings.

Kate Allen Fox, in her debut picture book, masterfully blends poetic prose with scientific marvel, engaging the senses and emotions of readers. The story unfolds as a tapestry, weaving together the threads of Pando's vastness, its challenges, and the collective responsibility we share in preserving this living wonder. Fox's passion for research and writing about science and nature shines through, making "Pando" not just a captivating read but a call to action.

Turine Tran's illustrations, inspired by childhood memories and the beauty of nature, transport readers into a world where every leaf, root, and tree becomes a testament to the fantastic wonders around us. Her nostalgic and dreamy images, complemented by a mastery of the craft honed through studies in Singapore, France, and Scotland, elevate "Pando" into a visual symphony that captures the essence of the living grove.

As a reader, "Pando" left an indelible mark on my heart. The book isn't just an exploration of a natural marvel; it's an invitation to understand our interconnectedness with the earth. The resilience of Pando becomes a metaphor for our collective strength and the need to cherish and protect the wonders that sustain life.

In a world filled with distractions, "Pando" emerges as a quiet yet powerful reminder of the intricate tapestry of nature and the role we play in its preservation. It's a celebration of unity, resilience, and the profound beauty hidden within the roots of a living forest. An absolute must-read for those seeking not just a book but an immersive experience in the embrace of nature's wonders.

This book was an adorable little story! The art was gorgeous and I learned so much! It was fantastic!

This beautiful book tells the story of Pando, one of the largest living organisms in the world. What started as a single male quaking aspen tree about 12,000 years ago grew into a clonal colony (meaning the trees are genetic clones of the original tree that have grown from the root system, making it a single organism) covering 108 acres of land in Utah. Unfortunately, Pando's survival is threatened by a number of environmental problems, with human development and animal grazing being the main issues. The book discusses measures that are currently being used to save Pando, and ends on a hopeful note. The art is beautiful, and helps convey the vastness of Pando and the wonder of its existence.

#Pando #NetGalley

I've had a minor obsession with Pando since I learned about it from a podcast a while back. I was eager to see how Fox would present the information. This is a fairly basic introduction to the organism and it's history, with an emphasis on preservation and the importance of ecology. If you're looking for a way to show kids that there is more to trees than they think, give Pando a look.

I grew up in Utah surrounded by Aspen trees. We would drive through the canyons in the fall to see the beautiful changing colors. Yet I had no idea about Pando. I loved this beautifully lyric picture book that brought to life the story of the largest and oldest living thing here on earth.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this book that reminds us we are all connected. That what we do affects others. A reminder we can all use and a point I definitely want to teach my kids.

The images are gorgeous and pair perfectly with the text. They really captured the beauty of the area and of Pando. I could have spent a long time just looking at them.

I’m excited for others to read this book and come to understand the beauty that is Pando. Highly recommend!

This is a wonderfully illustrated educational book for young and old. As most parts of mother nature this, too, is fighting for its survival. This book, therefore, is showing us what Pando is and what is threatening this unique phenomenon.
Unfortunately, while the author mentioned a few threats, she often neglected to give necessary detailed information (she mentioned the deer but not what made them be a threat to Pando). This lack of full disclosure happened not just once in the book. Moreover, as a little bit of research has shown me in the meantime, a lot of the information given here is already outdated again.
What really makes this book stand out was not necessarily what it is about (though Pando itself IS awesome) but how the subject was presented. It's like with food: no matter how nutritious, you won't eat it unless it looks yummy too. It's the same here. Fortunately, Turine Tran did an excellent job!

Pando is the name given to a grove of quaking aspens that is one of the largest organisms on the planet. Kate Allen Fox’s eponymous children’s book (illustrated by Turine Tran) tells the story of Pando—its age, its makeup, and the peril it is in. Fox tells the story in prose, though a semi-lyrical prose that employs poetic elements. Here, for instance, is the opening:
Near a humming highway/a giant forest stands firm
Thousands of trees – almost exactly/alike—whisper in the wind,
Stretching higher than you can climb,
Farther than you can see.
All these trees tremble/in the same breeze”

You can see the poetic aspects pretty easily. The alliteration of “humming highway”, “forest firm”, “whisper wind”, “trees tremble.” The assonance of “highway giant”, whisper wind”, “higher climb”. And the near-rhyme of “see, trees, breeze”. The poetic aspect is a nice elevation, though it could be more consistent and better executed at times. And the lyricism is a little marred by the expected language, such as whispering wind or chirping birds. That said, those sort of oft-used phrases are more problematic in works for adults than children, since obviously younger readers won’t have seen them the umpteen times adults have. It’s an issue, but perhaps a minor one.

Each page has a lyrical segment on Pando, and then the bottom of the page has a fact. On one page, for example, the main segment says there are more trees than “stars you can see on a clear night/than fish in the sea/than miles that stretch around the world.” Then the bottom factoid gives the actual numbers (2000 stars on a clear night, 32000 species of fish, 25, 000 miles around the Earth). The fact moments are a nice addition, but a bit hit and miss again in the execution. Here, for instance, the number of species isn’t probably what children will think of when they think of the number of fish in the sea, the 2000 stars would be a better fact if it came with a caveat of some sort since it’s so dependent on where the viewer lives – people in or near cities (which is a big and increasing part of the population) won’t see anywhere near that). The book is like that throughout, with some nice moments and then some phrases or an ordering that jars just a bit, feels a little awkward. The word “clone” for instance pops up, but isn’t defined until a glossary at the end, which is probably too late as most kids won’t know that word. Toward the end, Fox moves into the threat a changing world has on Pando, though it’s muddied a little bit by the inclusion of being eaten by animals (following a line about “humans have changed his home”), which of course has been happening for all of Pando’s existence (worse now, yes, but that’s a leap that has to be made by the reader).

The illustrations, meanwhile, are lovely, making especially good use of a beautiful golden/white palette through much of the book. They are nicely uncluttered, leaving the reader to focus on the trees themselves, which appear on nearly every page. When there is an animal — a deer, a bird — they come singularly or in very small numbers and are often off to one side or, if centered, tend to be small.

Pando is a solid story, if marred with a few awkward or unclear moments that don’t detract overmuch. And the strong artwork will go a good ways to making up for those moments as well.

Pando, a 43.6 hectare clonal colony of an individual male quaking aspen in south-central Utah, is the largest living organism in the world.

In this beautiful little book Kate Allen Fox shows how Pando has developed over thousands of years, and what is threatening it now. Her text is accompanied by Turine Tran’s wonderful illustrations.

This is another of these educational children’s picture books that I like so much. However, I feel like the text of this one was a little too basic. For instance, it is mentioned that tree-eating deer are a threat to Pando, and that there are efforts to move livestock in order to protect the aspen grove. But why do we have to interfere with the ecosystem in that way? Because of our interference with the ecosystem in the first place. Bears, wolves and mountain lions, which once kept the mule deer’s population in check, are largely gone from the area, because of hunting. This information is missing from the text. Other manmade problems are mentioned but could have been elaborated on a little further.

In general, the text is fine, just not detailed enough for my liking. Some of the illustrations are truly breathtaking though.

The best illustrated picture/storybook on trees. The information is crisp yet given in such a fun, short sequence.

The artwork is what I would call perfection. It's almost moving when you're reading the book. I just felt like I was watching a short animation watching the trees grow from just a seed to a wide, vast forest!

Such a good, mesmerizing storybook!

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

If you need one reason to check out Kate Allen Fox’s Pando, it should be because of Turine Tran’s gorgeous illustrations. The book is beautiful, with full color illustrations. Really, that alone would be worth reading the book. However, Fox also adds in plenty of scientific information for budding young scientists and their grown ups. The added resource list at the back is a welcome addition, as you will certainly want to help your young reader look up more information about Pando. The text may be a bit much for some younger elementary students but should be enjoyable for upper elementary ages.

An excellent book! I didn't know about Pando at all before this book, and it was a beautiful and informative overview of the species as well as this specific tree.

The Pando, an Aspen forest located in Utah, is a forest that grew from just one seed. This beautifully illustrated book is an amazing introduction children to learn about this unique forest. It was equal parts informative and entertaining. I really enjoyed reading this and would love to share it with students.

Pando is a great non-fiction about a very specific living creature: The Trembling Giant, an aspen grove that is not a bunch of trees, but one single organism, with many clones. But not any aspen grove either - the oldest and biggest aspen grove of our planet! Which is also currently in danger of dying out...
Really well written to explain to an younger audience what Pando is, and also introduces the idea of the importance of environment conservation and taking care of it.
The illustrations are beautiful too

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for honest review.

Beautifully illustrated, a magical look into Pando (an Aspen forest in Utah). With shimmering light and enticing perspectives, I wish I could hop into this book and spend some time in the scenes made by illustrator Turine Tran.

Pando
A Living Wonder of Trees
by Kate Allen Fox
Capstone

This is a delightful and peaceful book to read! Not only is it very informative, it made me feel closer to nature without going anywhere! The author gently guides the reader through the Aspen forest of Utah. Explains, and shows, how they are like one big organism. The tree roots are all locked and tangled together. The leaves shudder and whisper in the wind.

The art is tranquil and serene. It matches the books sober vibe and hope, peace, and joy flow from the pages. It's a soothing book and just as importantly, it can pass vital knowledge along. What better way than with beautiful words and lovely images?

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

The book's an interesting mix of great illustrations and text like you'd see in a children's book that doesn't preach too much, but also little information sidebars at the bottom which you'd usually see in a very different kind of children's book. Somehow, these elements work together and the book ends up being pretty good.

Pando is a picture book about a colony of quaking Aspens in Utah. The artwork is lovely, consisting of rich, realistic illustrations that drew my eyes around each page. The text is simple yet poetic, with a somewhat playful tone. I enjoyed the factoids sprinkled throughout the book, which added a layer of information without interrupting the flow of the story. I would recommend this book to any nature lover, young or old.

It is a wonderfully aesthetic book about largest living beings on earth; interconnected Aspen trees.
Artwork is excellent and soothing. Language is simple and details provided are appropriate for children.
A nice book connecting children with nature. A highly recommend book.

K-3rd grade. A non-fiction picture book about Pando a wonder of the natural world. The author and illustrator step the reader through how Pando came to be, how numerous this one tree system has become and the dangers of climate and ecosystem changes have on its continued growth. The illustration provokes awe and wonder of the magnitude of this aspen grove. A Glossary and additional resources section are provided at the end of the book. This is a great book to use as a read-aloud in a classroom setting or for young researchers to gather facts. A solid addition to any school library.

The illustrations in this book are so beautiful that I want to frame them in my home! Wow! If the imagery doesn't get kids excited about nature, then the soothing nature of the writing will have them totally engaged with this book. This is the type of book I get a lot of requests for, since parents and teachers want kids to get excited about nature and trees. This author has gone even further and provided an abundance of facts at the ready to answer questions for kids who want to learn more as a result of this beautiful work. What a beautiful read, and a great way to ignite travel and tourism in future explorers!