Finding The Way To Faraway Valley by Cecilia Heikkila (2021) & Taking Care of Where We Live: Restoring Ecosystems by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox (2024)

The International Day of the Forest was a couple of weeks ago and these two books are a perfect fit for such a day. Unfortunately, the U.S. federal government recently released intentions to ramp up logging in our national forests. 

Please read Finding The Way To Faraway Valley with your child! It was originally published in Swedish in 2021, but was first published in the United States in 2024. In this picture book, Little Bear is curious about the old postcard affixed to Grandpa’s refrigerator. Grandpa explains it is from Faraway Valley. Grandpa has stories to share and lessons to teach and soon the loving pair is off on an adventure to Faraway Valley. After a long day of hiking through the woods, they find a field cleared of its trees. Grandpa fears they may be too late - perhaps the pine-soaked scent of the precious, undisturbed valley is gone, but a group of wild animals encourages them to continue the trek. By morning, they reach Faraway Valley. They fish in the roaring river, they play with their new friends and they stare at the wide sky. Grandpa decides to stay there. He sends Little Bear back home and says, “Maybe, while you are growing into it, you can help others understand how to love the places of beauty we have left.” 

Taking Care of Where We Live: Restoring Ecosystems is an informational book that is great for middle grade readers and adults who are looking to take action in their local community and learn about the global movements to protect our ecosystems. This book was published by one of my favorite Canadian publishers - Orca Books. It is broken down into 5 chapters: 1. What is an Ecosystem? 2. Restoring 3. Rewilding 4. Peopling 5. Acting. I really enjoyed learning the difference between restoration and rewilding. 

Heart: Both of these books encourage the reader to love and protect our wild, natural spaces. One of my goals as a parent is to raise kids that love nature. We do that by spending time at our local open lands preserves and our county forest preserves. 

Head: At the end of the book, Wilcox mentions Richard Louv and Robin Wall Kimmerer, in separate instances. It’s always a good sign when an author mentions some of your other favorite authors. :)