From the tallest leaf to the buried roots, the oak tree provides food and shelter for many creatures. Whose Tree Is This?: Poems About the Mighty Oak and Its Companions takes readers on a poetic tour from the perspective of thirteen animals to discover the ways oaks benefit them and the environment.
Today award-winning author Marilyn Singer joins us to share her experience writing this new picture book, why she finds oaks so fascinating, and more!
What got you interested in writing about oak trees?
I’ve been interested in keystone species for a while. Those are species that support/create ecosystems. Without them, these ecosystems would collapse. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that oak trees are a keystone species. I wondered what creatures they support and came across many articles and, most importantly, Doug Tallamy’s fabulous book The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees. That did it! I decided I wanted to write a shout-out to a vital, but perhaps sometimes underappreciated, tree.
How did you choose the particular creatures that rely on an oak to feature in your book?
I knew that a lot of insects and birds rely on the oak for food and for a place to nest. But I wanted to discover what other uses animals find for an oak and in what parts of the tree they thrive. Also, I wanted to vary the animals—so, I looked for mammals and spiders and found that bats and bears rely on the tree for shelter and that spiders string webs across the branches. I did a lot of research for both accuracy and variety.
What surprising information did you learn in researching this book?
Lots! I learned that besides squirrels, blue jays bury acorns for later use. As well as climbing trees to escape enemies, bears use oaks as posts to scratch an itch, get rid of ticks, and announce themselves to other bears. I found out that oaks absorb chemicals that pollute our water. Perhaps the most surprising thing I discovered is that in the sixteen days after chickadee young hatch, their parents need to feed them between six thousand and nine thousand caterpillars, many of which they find on oak trees.
Why did you choose a combination of poetry and prose?
Prose can certainly be lyrical, but, in my opinion, nothing beats poetry for lyricism—and for grabbing your attention and your emotions, for surprising you with striking images. Poetry can capture a snapshot. Because much of it is brief, poetry tends to stick in your head. But prose can fill in the details, the gaps as it were—to say, “Hey, wanna learn more?” I like to catch attention with a poem but elaborate with prose.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope that readers discover how important oaks are and that they can take care of them and even plant them where appropriate. I also hope that they’ll understand more about how one species can make such a difference. Finally, thanks to Doug Tallamy and other writers, horticulturists, arborists, and entomologists, I want people to find out that most insects are not our enemies—that we need them to pollinate plants, to control pests, to recycle nutrients, and to feed animals. Plus, they’re really cool to study—as are oaks!
Praise for Whose Tree Is This?
★ “Accessible, engaging, and important—STEAM writing at its best.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews
“A warm and informative invitation to appreciate one of our most common street, yard, and forest trees.”—School Library Journal
Connect with the Author
Marilyn Singer is the author of more than one hundred books for children and young adults. Marilyn received a BA in English from the Queens College, City University of New York and an MA in communications from New York University. After teaching high school English for several years, she began writing. Her work has won several awards including the ALA Notable Children’s Book Award, a Texas Bluebonnet Award nomination, and the 2015 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.