Succession

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-- A short, competent, and textbook-like introduction to the succession of plants and the many influences on wild areas. Reed discusses controlled urban landscapes in contrast to untended areas, and the impact of animals, fire, insects, people, and weather on them. She introduces specialized terms, including climax forest and climax communities; primary and secondary plant succession patterns. The writing is clear and understandable, but not very entertaining. The text is conservative, and does not stir political waters with concerns over the nonreplacement of timber or using land without maintaining its fertility, which is barely mentioned. Plant succession has not previously been presented to this audience with this much detail. --Elizabeth Mor rissett, Alaska State Library, Juneau