Publishers Weekly
Trees, the dominant life form of most undisturbed terrestrial ecosystems, get a fitting tribute in this engaging collection of eco-meditations. In each short chapter, Salisbury University naturalist Maloof profiles each familiar tree-from the mighty oak to the humble holly-in the forests near her Maryland home and explores its "magical web of relationships" with the plants, insects, birds, mammals, fungi and people who rely on it. Along the way she gently voices her environmentalist convictions, deploring the clear-cutting of mature forests and their replacement with monoculture pine plantations, urging the use of recycled paper and jousting with county officials who want to cut down a local forest for the timber proceeds (she stymies them by declaring it a "September 11th Memorial Forest" and draping the trees with tags bearing the names of the dead from Ground Zero). Lyrical overtones are provided by sprinkled-in snippets of poetry by Rilke, and illustrations by the 18th-century artist John Abbott add a lovely visual touch. The resulting mix of scientific lore and acute personal observation makes for a beguiling walk in the woods. 18 illus. (July 5) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Booklist
A lovely collection of essays as spur and solace . . . A biologist by training, the author makes good use of poetry and history to demonstrate the connections between the trees and the rest of the planet’s inhabitants. A gem.
Southeastern Naturalist
Maloof reveals little known facts about the trees we all thought we knew so well and many of the other organisms with which they interact. She is a skilled and engaging storyteller. This small book is suitable for anyone who enjoys reading about nature and is fascinated by the many unseen interactions between organisms.
Julia Butterfly Hill
In Teaching the Trees, Joan Maloof combines science, heart, and spirit as a wonderful reminder of how important, special, and sacred trees are to us and to our world. Use this book as your call to action to conserve, protect, and restore our earth's trees and forests.
Rapid River
A fascinating study of what is going on in and under our very noses when walking through nature’s blessed wonder—the natural forest. . . . Her book combines astute awareness with keen intellect. If this is the teaching style her students are accustomed to, they are to be envied.
author of Song for the Blue Ocean and Eye of the Albatross - Carl Safina
The heartwood of this book harbors a kind of genius in fine and even grain: the power to look at the familiar and reveal for us its magic as for the very first time. From deep and soulful roots this book rises into a work of love and wonder, crowned by a high, overarching intelligence that changes forever our wide view of the surrounding world.
Body + Soul
An impassioned take on the sacred nature of trees, with natural-history essays touching on their critical role in all our lives.
author of Cross-Pollinations: The Marriage of Science and Poetry - Gary Paul Nabhan
Walk along with Joan Maloof through a forest, and you will see, hear, and smell stories better than anything on the Discovery Channel or, for that matter, in the Brothers Grimm. These are parables to live with, offered by a storyteller-biologist who is one part Thoreau on fruits, one part Alcock on insects, and one part Rilke on poetry.
Booklist
A lovely collection of essays as spur and solace . . . A biologist by training, the author makes good use of poetry and history to demonstrate the connections between the trees and the rest of the planet’s inhabitants. A gem.
