Ancient Ones: The World of The Old-Growth Douglas Fir (Tree Tales) - Hardcover

Bash, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871565617 ISBN 13: 9780871565617

Publisher: Gibbs M Smith, 1994

Synopsis

The world of the old-growth forest is teeming with life, from the flicker of a bluebird among the branches to the rustling of tiny mice in the underbrush. With its lyrical prose and vivid watercolor paintings, ANCIENT ONES will inspire reverence and awe in readers of all ages for the last of the old-growth Douglas firs and the intricate web of life that they support.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Bash, author-illustrator of six award-winning titles for Sierra Club Books for Children, has worked for many years as a calligrapher, illustrator, and teacher of book arts and botanical drawing. She lives in upstate New York.

From the Inside Flap

Deep in the old-growth forest, the earth is moist and the air is thick with the fragrance of decomposing needles. Lichen-covered logs crisscross the forest floor, and lush green moss clings to the ancient Douglas firs that tower overhead. All is still and silent. Or is it? Look carefully and you might see the flicker of a bluebird among the branches. Listen closely and you may hear the rustling of tiny mice in the underbrush. For the world of the Ancient Ones is teeming with life--from the Douglas squirrels and marbled murrelets taht amke their homes high in the forest canopy, to the millipedes and sowbugs that probe their way through the fallen logs one hundred fifty feet below. In lyrical prose and vividly realized watercolor paintings, acclaimed author-artist Barbara Bash captures the ongoing drama of the old-growth world as she traces the life cycle no only of the Douglas fir but of the forest itself. Both beautiful and informative, Ancient Ones will inspire reverence and awe in readers of all ages for the last of these majestic giants and the intricate web of life they support.

Reviews

Grade 2-6-A wondrous walk through an old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. As readers enter the cathedral quietness of the Douglas fir-dominated landscape, the unique ecosystem and its varied components are revealed, from the trees themselves, with their peculiar and long life cycle, to the myriad creatures that inhabit the lush environment. Pileated woodpeckers, brown bats, flying squirrels, red tree voles, and, of course, the spotted owl are introduced and placed in context. Delving deeper, the insects and even the microorganisms that are an integral part of this remarkable world are delineated. Children will be drawn into the text by having to search the oversized pictures for the animals and plants being discussed. Deeply toned watercolors reflect the darkness of this shaded but richly alive biome. Their clarity and detail make them supremely suited for the journey described. This book delivers its message in an appended "Author's Note." Bash makes it clear that a forest isn't just a group of trees-it is a well-defined, interdependent system of organisms that relies on a unique set of circumstances to continue to exist. Reading Ancient Ones is truly the next best thing to being there.
Steve Matthews, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bash adds to her Tree Tales series with a remarkable exploration of the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Scientific information is presented in simple, poetic language that suggests the sounds and sights of the forest ("Bark beetles chew under the bark, engraving delicate galleries where they deposit their eggs"). The design, in which blocks of calligraphy-like text are set against sweeping spreads, permits leisurely wandering through the forest realms, from the bustling byways of a treetop canopy to the teeming waters of a stream. Lush watercolors depict the forest and its denizens, spotted salamanders and golden banana slugs along with the red tree voles and flying squirrels that make their homes in giant Douglas firs. Insets showing insects and fungi (magnification sizes are given) provide windows onto an otherwise hidden world. The gentle ending, in which wildfires and the felling of fir trees allow for the growth of new saplings, beautifully affirms the concept of a cycle of life. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the author of Desert Giant (the Saguaro cactus) and Tree of Life (the African baobab [both 1989]), another handsome, meticulously detailed portrait of nature. In full-bleed spreads broken only by a neatly boxed text, Bash portrays an old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest from a human perspective on the ground and gazing into its lofty heights, then focuses on the species-rich habitats of canopy, snags (dead trees), the forest floor, and a nearby stream. She concludes with the extraordinary circumstances--fire plus a symbiotic relationship with a particular fungus--required to foster new growth. Elegantly rendered in Bash's calligraphic hand, her text is a lucid, well- organized guide to the many species shown in her lovely paintings. Inserts display a few larger than life size, the degrees of magnification carefully noted. A beautiful and informative book that makes a wonderfully effective plea for this magnificent habitat. Author's note. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 5+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 3-6. In the Pacific Northwest, a Douglas fir seedling reaches skyward, growing to 300 feet and living, perhaps, for five centuries. In Bash's stunning new book, the complex life of these trees becomes an ecology lesson wrapped in a miracle of natural wonder. Every part of the tree, at every stage of development, harbors life with no waste. An intricate balance exists among the birds, animals, insects, and plants that find a home there. Fallen trees in streams not only clean the water, but also host additional plants and animals. And so the cycle continues, one living thing creating an opportunity for another--until a forest fire ensures the completion of the cycle. The boxed calligraphic text describes these invaluable forest assets, now greatly diminished and threatened. Bash's lush paintings draw the reader right into the forest. Precise, and elegant in rich greens and browns, the paintings capture flora and fauna with reverence. Once again, as in Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus (1989) and Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobab (1989), Bash fits together all the pieces of a puzzle to uncover the hidden mystery of a botanical giant. Deborah Abbott

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Walking into an old-growth forest, you enter a strangely silent world. The eart feels moist and springy underfoot, and the air is thick with the fragrance of decomposing needles. Lichen-covered logs crisscross the forest floor, and moss clings to the towering trunks. At first, it all seems to quiet and still. But after a while, you start to relax--and begin to really look and listen High overhead, in the canopy of branches, a bird warbles softly. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a seed (or is is a pine needle?) drift lazily to the cushioned floor. This is the world of the Ancient Ones--silent, enormous, and full of secrets.

Edition details

• Publisher: Gibbs M Smith
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0871565617
• ISBN 13: 9780871565617
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bash Barbara
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32