Book excerpt: Introduce kids to the critters that make their home in a decaying old tree with this beautifully illustrated and accessible picture book. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten classrooms and science curriculums for the study of nature, forests, trees, and life cycles. An ancient oak is hit by a lightening strike, and tumbles to the ground! But don't worry—the tree is now home to all kinds of critters. Introduce young readers to termites, salamanders, garter snakes, and more animals and insects that make the rotting tree their home with a lighthearted building rhyme and realistic illustrations. Backmatter includes: Field Notes: information and fun facts about each animal mentioned in the book Activities and Projects: outlines for education projects for classrooms and families such as a day-in-the-life of an animal journal exercise, creating a picture collage of animal cut-outs from magazines, and a photo journal