Fallen. The second life of trees

When a tree falls, put down by a storm, the forest does not stand by and watch. The seemingly dead wood soon repopulates with life and becomes a new space for plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and many other living things. It is full of life and sustains the cycle of nature and the biodiversity of the forest.

Nothing is wasted: everything is regenerated and everything is needed to continue the amazing cycle of nature.

In this book we will discover what happens to a fallen tree in the forest over the seasons and years. It remains seemingly motionless throughout the book, but as time passes it is transformed until it produces a new sprout, on the last page. It is the story of the tree, but also the story of the forest and its inhabitants.

The book is structured by themes and seasons, each spanning a double-page. The double-pages are of three kinds: introductory (illustrations and text), focus pages (with in-depth content and species illustrations), and silent pages (illustration only). The topics covered are (autumn) insects; mosses and lichens; fungi and mollusks; (winter) birds and small mammals; rotten wood and bacteria; (spring) wildflowers and pollinators; (summer) large carnivores; and humans. The book was produced by the authors of Solo Dance, with the same passion and scientific rigor. The iconographic apparatus, created and approved with scientific meticulousness, blends digital technique with freehand illustrations. Most of the species presented are new to science popularization for children in Italy.

Awards:

⭐ Bologna Ragazzi Awards 2024: Special mention in the Non-Fiction Category 

⭐ Children and Nature Award 2024 (Italy)

⭐ IBBY Italy Choice 2024 (non-fiction category)

Rights sold: Slovenian, Korean, simplified Chinese, German, Turkish, Catalan, world English, world French and Greek languages. 

represented worldwide except China and Taiwan

Valentina Gottardi (concept & illustrations) graduated in Architecture and Visual Arts. Since childhood she has cultivated his two great passions: nature and drawing. Over the years she attended numerous specialization courses and experimented with different artistic techniques, creating her own style made of ballpoint pen, acrylics and tablets. At Cocai Books she deals with the conception and management of all projects, artistic direction and illustration.

Danio Miserocchi (author) is a naturalist and teacher. He collaborates with numerous museums and local institutions and has always cultivated and enhanced biodiversity by conducting research and popularization activities, especially about the neglected species of fauna and flora living in our environments. His work alternates between popularization and research, with field trips and consultations, to “get his hands dirty” and keep a direct line with Nature.

Maciej Michno (author) obtained a specialist degree in computer science from the University of Trento in 2006 and is editor and administrative and management manager at Cocai Books. He has always been passionate about writing, translating, editing, proofreading and all the technical aspects of running a publishing house. He speaks four languages and has a great passion for human factors and for communicating science and technology through text and images.