Trees are among natures most remarkable achievements, growing from a seed you can hold in your hand into a green giant several stories high. They are rugged survivors. They can live in baking hot deserts or icy arctic regions, competing with other plants for water and nutrients, while fending off cold, heat, drought, flood, poisons, parasites and predators. Trees can live for hundreds and even thousands of years, and teem with hundreds of different species of animal. At the same time, they provide us with fuel, food and shelter and even the oxygen that we breathe. A world without trees would be a barren, dry and polluted wasteland.
Jim Pipe studied Ancient & Modern History at Oxford University, then spent ten years in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. He has written numerous non-fiction books for children, many on historical subjects. He lives in Dublin, Ireland, with his lovely wife Melissa and his twin sons.
We've read many of the books in the You Wouldn't Want To... series. I like that they tackle serious scientific topics in a somewhat humorous and tongue-in-cheek way.
The book discusses the science of trees - different kinds of trees, how they grow, their importance to the global environment, and a few different ways they are uses throughout the world. We really enjoyed reading this book and will look for more of the books in this series at our local library.