Content

This book describes how Meg Lowman decided to find a way to hoist herself into the rainforest canopy to study the patterns of leaves growing there in a time when almost no one was doing research in the canopy (1970's).

Some events of the book: 

1. Growing up in Elmyra, NY, Meg was drawn to nature and lived outdoors most of her young life.

2. She went to graduate school in Sydney to study the rainforests near Queensland.

3. She devised a harness to hoist herself up into the rainforest using seatbelt straps and a slingshot.

4. She monitored the leaves to see how long they would last before falling to the ground or to see what was eating them.

5. Meg tried to find other, safer ways to explore the canopy. She devised a system of rope bridges and ladders so that others could enjoy the canopy too through tours.

Message

This book is about persevering when the skeptics around you are doubtful of your abilities to perform a task because it's unsafe, especially for a woman. She helped break down the gender difference barriers in her field. She showed that one person (man or woman) is capable of doing great things by educating others how to care for the trees and protect them from deforestation.

Evaluation

I really enjoyed this book. I was first a biologist before I was an educator, so I am naturally drawn to stories like these. But this biologist is chicken and prefers to keep her feet on the ground! She has done a tremendous amount in her lifetime to help save the rainforests from deforestation.

Nonfiction Text Features

sidebars full of facts about the rainforest, quotes, author's note, diagram of the layers of the rainforest canopy