In celebration of Earth Day, we spoke with the creators of three picture books highlighting underappreciated processes of nature and the conservationists fighting to protect the environment.
Martha Brockenbrough
When did you first learn about the importance of the Saharan plumes?
I was poking around the NASA website, as I often do when I need some inspiration. I had no idea dust could be photographed from space. We think of it as these tiny particles, but if you have enough of them, they can change the world.
What did your research process entail?
I read. I watched videos. I looked at images. I consulted with a scientist who studies the phenomenon. I really wanted to understand how everything connected. This project helped me shift my understanding of the world. Nothing happens in isolation. Everything is connected: time, space, the living, the dead, the arid, the rainforest. It’s astonishing. (And of course I did lots of research into the comparative sizes and weights of things to try to make it accessible to kids.)
How do you hope this book helps readers gain a new perspective on an oft overlooked part of nature?
I hope readers start to look closely at the world. Even something almost too small to see—a speck of dust—has a story that can help us feel connected to everything and everyone else on the planet. To me, this is a miracle.
A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet by Martha Brockenbrough, illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. Knopf, May 27 $19.99 ISBN 978-0-593-42842-9
Kelly Crull
What made you want to take a deeper look into the Black Mambas, South Africa’s first women-led anti-poaching unit?
At first, I was drawn to the Black Mambas’ courage—every day they walk miles deep into the bush in the heat, unarmed, relying on their knowledge of lions and other wildlife to stay safe. But looking closer, I saw that their story isn’t just about stopping poachers. They use relationships—teaching children to love wildlife, bringing their elders into the bush, and providing jobs that make conservation a source of pride and economic growth. They’ve found a way to protect wildlife by lifting people up, not removing them from the equation. That’s the story I wanted to share.
What did your research process entail? Did you meet or speak with any of the Black Mambas?
I spent five years working on this story with the Black Mambas. After reading everything I could find about them and the poaching crisis in South Africa, I reached out in 2020. Over the next two years, I exchanged hours of audio messages and phone interviews with the Mambas and those who know them. They answered my questions and shared stories about their lives, daily work, and communities. Most of the words in The Black Mambas come directly from our conversations.
In 2023, I traveled to South Africa to take photos for the book. We walked the fence line at dawn, swept the bush for snares, and scanned the reserve with a flashlight from the back of their truck late into the night. We attended a graduation for hundreds of kids in the Bush Babies conservation program and tagged along on a game drive at one of their kids’ camps. Bringing together years of conversation with a rare opportunity to document their work resulted in a book we are all proud to share.
Why was it important to highlight the Black Mambas and their routine? What does it reveal about the nature of their work?
The Black Mambas’ daily routine shows that conservation isn’t just about dramatic confrontations with poachers—it’s about vigilance, teamwork, and a deep connection to the land and animals they protect. By highlighting their routine—patrolling the reserve, looking for snares, and educating local communities—I wanted to show that their impact goes beyond stopping poaching in the moment. They’re working toward long-term change by reducing the demand for poaching and building a culture of conservation. Their story reveals that wildlife conservation isn’t just about protecting animals—it’s about daily actions that create a future where people and wildlife can thrive together.
The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by Kelly Crull. Millbrook, Apr. $19.99 ISBN 979-8-7656-2725-9
Kirsten Pendreigh
Why did you choose to frame the nurse log as a mother-like figure to the forest?
Given her incredible role of regenerating the forest, and enabling a new tree to grow, it made sense to call the nurse log a mother. I also used mother as a verb: when the nurse log shelters, warms, and feeds plants and animals, she “mothers them all.” Mothers are strong and powerful; I hope this mother’s strength and vital importance come through! Of course, nurturing is not a female-specific trait. In the story, the seedling or “tree child” that grows on the “mother” log, is male. He inherits her role of nurturer and becomes “a place to grow, to rest, to shelter.” And, as I note in the backmatter, a Douglas fir (the tree that becomes the nurse log) is actually monoecious (both male and female) so it self-reproduces. Like humans, trees are complex and wonderful!
What did your research process entail?
I’m a proud plant nerd, so many of the facts were already in my head from years of hiking forest trails and reading about trees—especially nurse logs, which long fascinated me. I didn’t set out to write a nonfiction book, it was more of a love letter to these fallen giants. But paying attention is a kind of love, and details are the heart of poetry, so those details came through from the first version onwards. Lines of the story seemed to arrive in my brain, and I found myself repeating them as I hiked, almost like an incantation, that pulled in new lines. Then, once the story was ready for submission, I consulted with arborists, and we had everything fact-checked.
The bulk of my research hours went into verifying the species found in these West Coast forests, sourcing images, and making lists of animals and plants for illustrator Elke Boschinger to select from. And what a lush, detailed world Elke created! It’s been a delight seeing people recognize iconic West Coast flora and fauna like swordtail ferns, varied thrushes, pileated woodpeckers, Douglas squirrels, and, of course, our beloved banana slugs.
How do you hope this book helps readers gain a new perspective on an oft overlooked part of nature?
I hope it encourages little ones to keep noticing the tiny life that adults often miss. At kids-eye level there is so much happening in a forest! Paying attention to all of nature, big and small, tall and fallen, deepens our understanding of how connected healthy ecosystems are, and reminds us that we all matter, regardless of our age or size or background. When readers see the diversity of life nurtured by a single fallen Douglas fir—including the Western hemlock that grows to take her place— perhaps they will make a connection to human communities too. All healthy communities thrive on diversity and need wise, generous, stewards to guide the next generation.
For older readers, the story is a profound reminder of how our elders, teachers, and parents nurtured us. How will we pay that forward to the children in our lives? What will our legacy be? I’ve been struck by the emotional impact this story has. Many readers, including my wonderful acquiring editor Naomi Kirsten and I, can’t get through a read without tearing up!
When a Tree Falls: Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest Power by Kirsten Pendreigh, illus. by Elke Boschinger. Chronicle, Mar. $18.99 ISBN 978-1-79721-867-0
