The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest
Written by Lynn Street
Illustrated by Anne Hunter
Margaret Quinlin Books / Peachtree Publishers
Publication Date August 5, 2025
Busy blue jays race to stockpile acorns before winter arrives—tap, tap, tapping them into soft ground. But time is short, and other hungry animals scramble for the same seeds. While jays depend on acorns to help them survive, oaks depend on jays to scatter fruit far and wide. Some of the cached seeds that aren’t eaten will sprout. This nature story celebrates the symbiotic relationship between blue jays and oaks and the forests that flourish from this connection.
- Download The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest Info Sheet
- “Birds, Books, and Breaking Into Nonfiction Children’s Publishing” (Writer’s Digest Article)
Praise
- 2026 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List ~ Texas Library Association
- 2026 ALSC Notable Children’s Books
- A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
- Accepted into The Original Art 2025 exhibit of the Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
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Silver Eureka! Honor Award for Nonfiction – The California Reading Association
- NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book 2026
- 2025 Blueberry Honor Award for Excellence in Environmental Nonfiction
- 2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice for Picture Books (Science, Technology & The Natural World)
- 2026-2027 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award (Pennsylvania)
- 2026 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year (STEM)
- 2026 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (Southeast Division)
“An eloquently told story of symbiosis.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An outstanding observation of a remarkable reciprocal relationship in the natural world.” —Booklist
“The blue jay gets its due in this sharply written appreciation of the bird’s critically important symbiotic relationship with oak trees.” —Publishers Weekly
“Educational and visually stunning.” —School Library Journal
Coming Soon!
