Maria Gianferrari Finds an Ecosystem in Just One Oak!

Maria Gianferrari’s marvelous new book, Just One Oak released back in April. So Happy 6-Month Book Birthday, Maria! I had such a fun time reading her book, and wanted to know more about how she brought it into the world. What better time to talk about oaks than now, during peak leaf-color season?

Welcome to the GROG, Maria. As a fellow tree-hugger, I wanted to know what inspired you to write Just One Oak? And when did you realize you wanted it to be about the entire ecosystem of the tree - not just "a story about a tree"?

Maria: I have always been a lover of oak trees, but I gained a deeper appreciation for their role as a native keystone species after reading Dr. Doug Tallamy’s The Nature of Oaks. 

Sue: I loved that book.

Maria: Yes. It was truly eye-opening to discover just how much oak trees anchor and support biodiversity in a variety of ecosystems and habitats, and how they sustain a multitude of creatures from tiny organisms to mammals as large as black bears. So, from the get-go, I knew the book would focus on an oak’s role as a keystone. 

As for the red oak outside my kitchen window, check out these two recent Barred owl visitors. 

Sue: They are handsome owls! So, tell us about your research. Did it involve sprouting acorns? Climbing a tree? What did you do to learn all this cool stuff?

Maria: Research is always the fun part! Though I didn’t sprout any acorns as I researched the book, I have done so in the past.

As I mentioned, Dr. Tallamy’s book was both an inspiration and a main source of the specific details for the book in addition to his website, Homegrown National Park. Dr. Andrew Hipp’s Oak Origins was also highly informative. He’s the Director of the Herbarium and a Plant Systematics scientist at The Morton Arboretum in Chicago.  Their website is also full of helpful information and resources. 

Maria Gianferrari

I did the traditional kinds of research: read scientific articles, watched videos/documentaries, perused websites, etc.  I also keep a nature journal and write about my observations while exploring the woods in my backyard and community observing oaks and other trees. I actually first learned about marcescence, when oaks don’t lose their leaves in winter, back when I was living in Virginia long before writing the book, so it was fun to re-discover this and add it to Just One Oak. 

Sue: As you wrote the manuscript, did you have the birds, insects, and other animals for each spread in mind? And if so, how did you communicate what should go on the page to the editor and/or illustrator? Did you have art notes? 

Maria: I did! I first made lists of various animals, and the kinds of habitats/ecosystems that they’d live in to try to be as scientifically accurate as possible since I didn’t want to focus on just one type of oak tree, but the ways that oak trees support biodiversity. 

Then I thought of various aspects of the ways “just one oak” sustained creatures in a specific environment. Some were relatively straightforward, like the Acorn woodpecker spread. 

I first discovered Acorn woodpeckers back in 2012. We were living in San Diego at the time, and took a trip east to Mount Laguna. We were exploring the area around our cabin when I noticed that the trees were filled with acorns! I was amazed, and then I spotted one peeking out of a cavity! 

After writing the book, I came across this NPR article about acorn woodpeckers storing their treasures in a house!

For other spreads, such as the two leaf litter spreads, I began with an art note that included an initial list of suggestions for the prospective critters to be featured both above ground and below ground. Then Diana brought her own observation and knowledge and research into play as she’s created the sketches.

After the sketches are done and we’re working with a PDF, I may have additional comments or suggestions about which animals to make adjustments to, to change, or to add, again, to try to be as scientifically accurate as possible to the best of my ability. For example, I added some reference links on duskywing skippers to help as Diana as she finalized the art for this spread.

We also did another round of adjustments to text and art after Dr. Tallamy kindly took a look and offered his expertise. My goal is always collaborative in nature. I make suggestions for scientific accuracy, but I also want to leave space for Diana to work her magic.

Sue: Did you include the layered text/sidebars from the beginning? Or did that info begin as back matter and "migrate" to the spreads? 

Maria: The layered text was in the manuscript from the beginning. I love having a main text that is more spare and poetic, so that it can be read aloud to the youngest of listeners to keep their attention. I did a reading at my local indie, TidePool Bookshop, this spring, and there was a small turn out of three years olds! There was no way they were going to sit still while I read those sidebars! So instead of reading them, I did a type of “Where’s Waldo/I, Spy” approach and asked them what they noticed to keep them as engaged as possible. 

Having scientific sidebars with lots of information also appeals to older STEM lovers who gravitate towards those facts. But having both makes for a more versatile read aloud experience, and gives the book wider appeal for both younger and older readers. My sidebars usually start out being way too long, so some of that information migrated to the back matter.

Sue:  I always admire your language! I particularly liked the repetition of "Just one oak" (up to "Just one blue jay”) - how did you land on that refrain to structure the book?

Maria: Thanks, Sue! Many books about oak trees follow a life cycle pattern, from acorn to seedling, to sapling to tree, but I wanted this book to be about the major impact oak trees can have as cornerstones of their communities, wherever they happen to be. Finding a structure for informational books is the most challenging part. Once I’m ready to begin writing, I usually do some exploratory freewriting to try to find a way to tie everything together. Once I came up with the “just one oak” refrain, then it was easy to put the various sections together, one by one. Each focal piece naturally evolved into a two-page spread about that particular aspect, whether it was an acorn masting with a panoramic spread, or more of a close-up, such as with the acorn weevil spread, for example. Diana is masterful and created so much visual variety.

Sue: Thanks so much for joining us at the GROG today! Folks can find out more about Maria and her awesome books at her website, mariagianferrari.com