An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days.

Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. 4-8)Įchoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.Įach sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Consider instead other children’s works inspired by Maathai, such as Donna Jo Napoli’s Mama Miti, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2010). The stripped-down computer-generated pictures vie with the ecology-focused subject rather than extending it, and the pie-eyed, inane expressions of the humans depicted around the globe flirt visually with the stereotypical cultural caricatures common to the mid-century European advertising posters that the illustrator credits as influences.

His ultra-stylized depictions rove from Brooklyn to a presumed African plain, to Tokyo, Paris, New England and possibly the Cinque Terre (though one where apples and lemons yield concurrently), riding roughshod over the poet’s delicate allusions. Staake is an accomplished illustrator with many New Yorker covers under his belt. In natural language, the narrator adopts a global view, lauding her subject’s abilities to cool the earth, clean the air and prevent erosion (“The tree kept the soil from blowing away- / Now rainwater could stay in the earth”). May 27-28 – Life Under a Log – On the Parkwoods Trail near the StumperyUsing a quote from Wangari Maathai as a springboard, Muldrow’s poem delineates the tree’s seasonal cycles and celebrates its benefits for living creatures.May 20-21 – Birds of Prey – On the Visitors Center Deck.May 13-14 – Building the Best Nest – Near the Native Plant Demonstration Garden.May 6-7 – The Buzz on Bees and Wasps – At the Pollinator Garden.April 29-30 – Know your Trees – On the Visitors Center Deck.April 22-23 – Hot or Not: Climate Change in Ohio – On the Visitors Center Deck.April 15-16 – Plants That Aren’t Green and Other Oddities at the Main Shelter House.April 8-9 – Pretty Poisons on the Visitors Center Deck.April 1-2 – In a Drop of Pond Water at the Discovery Center.March 25-26 – Duck, Duck, Goose on the Parkwoods Trail near the Learning Garden/Pond.March 18-19 – Turtle Talk at the Discovery Center.Stop by on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-2pm beginning in March 2023! There is something to learn for everyone from beginners to experts. Displays highlight various natural phenomena seen during your visit. Experience nature at The Arboretum in a new way by visiting a pop-up exhibit.

We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow