Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Kate Endle.

The title will immediately have children puzzled and intrigued.  Fish made of trees?  Will they be wooden fish?  What could it possibly mean?  Is this another of those strange surreal books mommy sometimes finds?  But slowly and lyrically the story is told of tree leaves falling into the stream, settling to the bottom, bacteria feeding on them, and then small creatures eating the leaves.  The cycle of life is right before our eyes as the trout feed on the creatures and the leaves become part of them. 

The author has created a book that is pure fascination.  Even if you know the book is about the cycle of life, it’s impossible to not want to follow the story.  The illustrations are an interesting combination of cartoon friendliness and detailed naturalism.  They manage to be warm and factual at the same time.  The text walks this same line, creating a story where pure fact could have been cold and impersonal.

Highly recommended for elementary science classes looking at the life cycle.  My children immediately realized that we too are made of trees and started listing all of the other things we are made of: grass, rocks, and much more.  I love any book that immediately sparks such interested conversation and animated sharing of ideas.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.