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Story Synopsis
A classroom of children embarks on a quest to grow new trees from the clippings of a fallen willow tree and to rewild their schoolyard in this lyrical picture book loosely based on a true story.
The old willow tree has stood in the schoolyard for as long as anyone can remember. It’s a gathering place, a run-laps-around place, a dream-under place. Until one blustery night when a storm blows it over.
Brokenhearted over the loss of their beloved tree, the students come up with a wonderfully wild idea: to grow new willows! They gather branches and trim clippings, and before long, many new trees begin to take root. But their wonderfully wild ideas don’t stop there. With the help of their community, can the class transform their entire schoolyard?
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Accolades
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CBC/NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book
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Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
"Rich with information and heart, this standout blends STEM learning with community building in a memorable package."
- School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Kirkus
A joyful introduction to rewilding or restoring ecosystems to their natural states. Hopeful and encouraging.
Booklist
The story is well paced and the graceful, digital illustrations are lovely.
Publisher's Weekly
Stremer inspires with this uplifting, based-on-true-events story of a school community that enacts a “wonderfully wild,” plan to resurrect a beloved schoolyard willow....With delicate coloring, attention to critterly detail, and plant-oriented patterns, simple digital renderings capture the gladdening magic of group efforts—and greenery.
“In a marketplace full of tree stories, this one truly stands out as it highlights real students’ efforts to regrow willow trees from a fallen one and to rewild, or restore, their schoolyard back to a more natural ecofriendly state. I believe Wonderfully Wild will inspire readers to help care for the natural world around them and show how we can turn our losses into something new and beautiful.”