The story of a forest "lost" by a surveying error-and all the flora and fauna to be found there

A forest, of course, doesn't need a map to know where to grow. But people need a map to find it. And in 1882 when surveyors set out to map a part of Minnesota, they got confused, or tired and cold (it was November), and somehow mapped a great swath of ancient trees as a lake. For more than seventy-five years, the mistake stayed on the map, and the forest remained safe from logging-no lumber baron expects to find timber in a lake, after all.

The Lost Forest tells the story of this lucky error and of the 144 acres of old-growth red and white pine it preserved. With gentle humor, Phyllis Root introduces readers to the men at their daunting task, trekking across Minnesota, measuring and marking the vast land into townships and sections and quarters. She takes us deep into a stand of virgin pine, one of the last and largest in the state, where U.S. history and natural history meet. With the help of Betsy Bowen's finely observed and beautiful illustrations, she shows us all the life that can be found in the Lost Forest.

Accompanying the story is a wealth of information about the Cadastral Survey and about the plants and animals that inhabit forests-making the book a valuable guide for readers who might want to look even deeper into the history of Minnesota, the flora and fauna of old-growth forests, and the apportioning of land in America.

About the Author

Phyllis Root is the author of more than forty books, including Creak! Said the Bed and Lily and the Pirates, both named in Smithsonian's 2010 Notable Books for Children; Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble, winner of a Minnesota Book Award; Big Momma Makes the World, winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award; and, published by Minnesota, Plant a Pocket of Prairie and One North Star, both winners of the John Burroughs Riverby Award, and Searching for Minnesota's Native Wildflowers. She was awarded a 2006 McKnight Fellowship for Lucia and the Light. She has taught at the Loft and currently teaches in Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program.

Betsy Bowen has written and illustrated numerous children's books, including Helen Hoover's Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman (Minnesota, 2005) and Phyllis Root's Big Belching Bog (Minnesota, 2010), Plant a Pocket of Prairie (Minnesota, 2014), and One North Star (Minnesota, 2016). She lives in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Reviews

"Bowen's moody, saturated illustrations of layered landscapes and historical journals add heft to the text's implicit message that the natural world is something more than a measurable commodity."-Publishers Weekly, starred review

"One of the pleasures of reading is finding out about a subject you've never heard of. Who knew there are forests in Minnesota untouched by loggers, trees that tower because they were overlooked by surveyors mapping out areas more than 200 years ago? You'll learn the reasons why when you read "The Lost Forest" by Phyllis Root."-Newsbee

"The Lost Forest written by Phyllis Root and illustrated by Betsy Bowen tells with humor and fascinating descriptions, an important environmental story."-The Pirate Tree

"The powerhouse duo of Betsy Bowen and Phyllis Root team up again, writing about nature and science in a gorgeous and accessible way."-Star Tribune

Book Information
ISBN 9780816697960
Author Phyllis Root
Format Hardback
Page Count 40
Imprint University of Minnesota Press
Publisher University of Minnesota Press
Dimensions(mm) 279mm * 178mm * 51mm