It’s National Tree Week in the UK – so we are looking at trees and how animals use them….
HOLLOW IS A HOME
Written by Abbie Mitchell; illustrated by Astred Hicks
ISBN 978-1-4863-0805-7 ; CSIRO PUBLISHING
Take a peek into the world of tree hollows and the animals that call them home.
Trees are praised for many things, and rightly so : provider of nesting site for birds; perching place for beautiful flowers; the roots strengthen and structure the soil. How often do we consider the ‘holes’ – the oxygenated gaps in a tree – as providing anything. Yet that is exactly the premise of this – a clever (and true) idea, and a clever book. To you and me, a tree hollow maybe just a hole, cavity, or tunnel in a tree … But to an animal, a ‘hollow’ becomes a natural bedroom, hiding place away from predators, a nursery, or shelter from the rain.
Why is this book unique? A Hollow is a Home is actually the children’s book specifically dedicated to the topic of hollow-dependent wildlife. For that, one reviewer stated “ it’s my new favourite book from CSIRO Publishing. Particularly noteworthy about this book: It is very richly designed and beautifully written, taking it from the reference book shelves and bounced to the world of natural history (ecology)
The chapters are simple yet effective – From ” A hollow is a home” which shows clearly what parts of a tree are used. “How safe is my tree” looks at threats including habitat loss, to profiles of scientists who study and create action plans to help species that use hollow habitats. Throughout the book, Creature Features share information about particular species. Reality is that not every species that uses a tree hollow habitat is in a Creature Feature, however that would very likely have expanded the book well beyond its current 103 pages. An index would have helped to cross-reference the information. The end pages include a list of hollow-using species.
Shortlisted, The Wilderness Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature 2020: Non-Fiction ;
Shortlisted, The CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2020 ;
Longlisted, The Australian Book Design Awards 2020: Children’s Non-Fiction Illustrated Book.
A great resource on creatures and their connections with the all-important tree habitat, highly recommended as an information text as well as a superb reader for that future ecologist in your family or class.
