What happens when a giant fir tree is felled by a storm? It becomes a nurse log, a home to countless creatures on the forest floor. Five chapters chart the long life of the log: spring, year 1; summer, year 10; autumn, year 100; winter, year 500, and spring, year 1000. Almost immediately, new life and activities spring up on and around the fallen tree. Fungi arrive, followed by lichen, liverwort, hornwort, and chicken mushrooms. Animate creatures, including beetles, ants, snails, and birds, are next. The nurse log’s surface becomes blanketed in ferns and molds. It offers shelter, shade, and warmth to myriad mammalian and amphibious beings. Eventually, a new fir tree sprouts. It is a tree that, hundreds of years in the future, takes the place of the decomposed nurse log … until “a great gust” comes along to start the cycle over again. Readers are likely to delight in the cheerful, adorable illustrations (even the fungi have cute little smiles). While the incredible span of time may be difficult for young children to grasp, the scientific information is delivered via a conversational, accessible text.