I already loved trees and now I love them even more. I knew only a little about how trees in undisturbed forests networked their roots to share resources- it turns out they can do so much more. By connecting their roots with fungal networks and with their neighbors trees can share sugar and water. They can also send alarms, such as warning of insect attacks on their leaves and branches. Trees have memories, though no one knows where they are stored- a tree that survives a drought will every year afterwards manage it's water supplies more carefully. Trees might even speak- they vibrate at different frequencies depending on weather and "shout" when they are injured by branches being broken off. Older trees raise and educate younger ones, so that trees growing under the branches of their mothers live longer and healthier than trees planted in urban areas. A forest is rich with unseen life and secrets under the soil, but Peter Wohlleben (a German forester) shares glimpses into this world with compassion and wit.

This is a really nice follow up to the previous book. The story is less focused on Aster and spreads out into a group of teens, some magic, some not, all trying to figure out which direction they want to go in life. The story takes place over about one week, and in this one the big battle is not against a cursed dragon, but against the bruises and wounds life deals to every misfit teen. The art is clear and effective. I want to use this book as a model for my own next comic, keeping in mind that an all ages comic does not have to be complex to be good: sometimes a sweet small story about feelings hits exactly right.