About the Holiday

First celebrated 56 years ago, Earth Day is the world’s largest civic-focused event. The initiative began on April 22, 1970, when 20 million Americans (10% of the population) demonstrated against the industrialization, pollution, and pesticides that were damaging people and the environment. In response, in July of 1970, Republican President Nixon and the US Congress created the Environmental Protections Agency and enacted laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act among others.

This year’s theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.” From Saturday, April 18 to Earth Day on the 22nd and beyond, Earth Day and Earth Month will organize communities and individuals to take part in community cleanups, teach-ins, peaceful demonstrations, tree planting, voter registration, town hall meetings, community organizing and more. Every action strengthens the movement and what we can accomplish. To learn how you can participate or access resources in your area, visit the official Earth Day website.

Thanks to Greystone Books for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Fiddlehead Forest: Little Habitats 2

By Jana Curll

After a lightning storm, Fern and her fronds—Millipede, Slug, Moth, Mushroom, and the Lichens—discover a tree that’s fallen and can’t get up. Mushroom suggests the tree become a log, but the unhappy tree wants to return to its days of glory, of being “tall, strong, and useful—important!” Fern “guaran-trees” she will make it happen.

Text and Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jana Curll. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

Tiny Millipede is first to volunteer his talents. It’ll be a cinch, he thinks. All he has to do is eat and eat and eat and molt and molt and molt until he’s grown enough segments and legs to push the tree back into position. It turns out, though, there’s only so much one millipede can eat before getting “in-dig-estion,” so Fern concocts another, kinda crazy plan involving Moth, dangerous animals, and “geome-TREE” (Beard Lichen thinks it’s “more like insani-TREE”). When that doesn’t fly, Fern enlists Slug in an even more convoluted idea that any slime lover could get behind. Unfortunately, it’s a no-goo too.

Text and Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jana Curll. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

With the help of the Lichens’ and Mushroom’s insight, Tree accepts its fate and vows to “do my best with where I am now.” As night falls the friends stay close, keeping Log company. In the morning Fern has yet one more idea, but this one isn’t zany or complex. She invites everyone to stay, hang out, and just do their thing. “FERN-ally” Log discovers its new role—one in which it is long, strong, and useful—important!

In addition to the story, each chapter includes a two-page spread of fascinating facts about millipedes, moths, slugs, lichens, fungi, ferns, and nurse logs that describe their importance to Earth’s ecosystems.

Text and Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jana Curll. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

Equal parts hilarious and educational, Jana Curll’s Fiddlehead Forest is a punsters paradise, where kids will be giggling so often they may not even realize how much they’re learning. Curll’s mix of witty banter, caring friendship, and scientific facts, all presented in her bright and adorable graphic novel format, will delight kids. Fiddlehead Forest has plenty of repeat readability, applications for classrooms and homeschoolers, and appeal for any library collection.

Ages 6 – 9

Greystone Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1778401046

About the Author

Jana Curll is a children’s illustrator based on the rainy west coast of Canada and is grateful to live on the traditional lands of the shíshálh Nation with her family. She is inspired by the creatures and environment of the local rainforests and the ocean and spends her spare time wandering through winding trails and along rocky beaches. She likes doodling funny maps and sipping strong coffee while her large cat sleeps on her lap. She’s also the author-illustrator of Barnacle Bay, the first book in the Little Habitats series also published by Greystone Kids. Visit her at janacurrl.com.

Earth Day Activity

You can purchase Fiddlehead Forest (Little Habitats, 2) from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

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