Streamer/Author
In this issue, Qinyue Read introduces you to a popular science picture book "1000 Years of Oak Tree Witness", and watch an oak tree with children to witness the changes in history.
Fabre, an entomologist said, "If we are good at asking questions, everything will speak and tell us its story." "This story chronicles the growth of an oak tree over a thousand years. From spring to autumn, the annual rings of oak trees circle after circle, they not only record the wind, frost and rain, but also record the human race from weak to strong in this land.
The oak tree is a living "Tai Shi Gong". Under its watching, the forest on the side becomes a village, and the village becomes a city... From the Middle Ages to the Age of Discovery, from the Industrial Revolution to the information today, this thousand-year-old tree records the growth of mankind and the destruction of nature by mankind, with the advent of villages, factories, towns, trains, highways and planes, trees are cut down, animals are gone, bushes disappear, meadows are gone...
Fabre says each vegetarian insect has its own exclusive plant. If we understand how life is interconnected, we know how important a tree is. When the oak tree says "I hear the chopping of axes, people cut down more trees", what does that really mean?
The trunk of the old oak tree is hollowed, but it is still a paradise for children. A new acorn is produced on the branch, and when an acorn falls, it will also grow into a large tree. So, what will it witness in the future?
This book bears witness to 1,000 years of urban change, and also records the transformation of human beings from agricultural civilization, industrial civilization to ecological civilization. Human expansion has harmed nature, but humans also have the will to protect nature and the ability to develop in balance. This should also be the inspiration of this book.
There are several appendices at the end of the book that are also highlights of the book. First, what happened around the world in the 1,000 years that the oak tree witnessed? From Bi Sheng's invention of movable type printing in 1041 to the death of 1 billion animals in 2020 Australian bushfires, major events affecting humans over the millennia have been recorded. Second, the life cycle of an oak tree, which concisely shows the life of the oak tree. Third, become a "hometown detective", reminding children to review the history of their hometown and feel the changes around them through old photos, old buildings, and old neighbors. Fourth, make friends with trees, encourage children to pay attention to nature, observe a tree, and cultivate behaviors and concepts of caring for nature.
The book's author, Charlotte Gillan, is a British popular science writer, winner of the Roald Dahl Humorous Award, and a Kate Greenaway Nomination Award. Artist Sam Arthur is also a well-known British picture book author and illustrator, and has won the British Red House Book Award and the Waterstone Bookstore Children's Book Award.
Editor/Post Qiu Zhiqiang
Editor-in-chief Wang Juan