Just One Oak by Maria Gianferrari & Diana Sudyka

subtitled What A Single Tree Can Be. And in the case of the oak, the answer is “a lot!”

Growing up in Virginia, I had two massive oak trees in my front garden which, along with the red maple I spent hours climbing, were my favorite trees for the longest time. My dad made a plank swing that hung from a bough of the oak closest to the house, and I spent plenty of time either vigorously sailing through the air on it or just idly swinging to and fro with my thoughts and/or a book. I’d spread a picnic mat at the foot of the oaks when the weather was nice, and read or daydream while staring up into the leaves. So believe me when I tell you that I was very much inclined to love oak trees even before I read this beautiful and informative book on how important they actually are.

Even as an amateur naturalist, I was surprised to discover how crucial the oak’s position is as a keystone species in whichever ecosystem it’s in. Maria Gianferrari goes into this in greater detail, showcasing not only the oak’s importance in the diet of numerous insects, birds and mammals, but also how its adaptive traits have made it easier for pretty much everything in its surrounding area to thrive. Whether this comes from providing safe a/o nourishing habitats, or from rebalancing the environment through creating microclimates more suitable for the living organisms around it, the oak tree does a lot more (and in a lot more places!) than I knew of before I read this book.

The main, if not only, drawback of a book being as wildly informative as this one, however, is the fact that some of the language can feel a lot more sophisticated than the usual picture book crowd is used to. Despite the helpful word definitions for scientific terms, this is definitely not a book for beginning readers. It is very much a book for budding scientists (or anyone with an inquisitive mind, really) who want to know more facts about the world around them, in an accessible and unintimidating fashion.

That said, Diana Sudyka’s lovely art will keep even non-readers entranced as they’re (hopefully) read to from these pages. The inclusion of so many different species of wildlife, all labeled for the reader, also serves as a fun, interactive seek-and-find game that will help nature enthusiasts of all levels learn more about (primarily temperate zone) flora and fauna.

And speaking of interactive, I was especially appreciative of the section in the book that talks more about planting oaks, going into detail about how to start seedlings of two different varieties. Given the balance I’ve recently struck with the trees on my own property tho (there’s a poplar tulip and I who are Not Friends,) it’s probably a task I’ll leave to my animal friends. My kids, otoh, keep leaving mysterious packages of wrapped and propagating flora in the fridge and on various kitchen ledges, so they may have a greater interest, lol.

Just One Oak by Maria Gianferrari & Diana Sudyka was published April 7 2026 by Beach Lane Books and is available from all good booksellers, including