“Window” by Jeannie Baker

What did you notice in this book that had something to do with survival? 

• Trees. Well, there was trees in that book, and trees, well, they need to breathe as well. They don’t need air like us, they need water like us, but they don’t need anything to eat, they just need water and soil. Trees need sap. And instead of their blood being red, their blood is clear.

What happened to the trees? 

• There became more and more.
• No, more and more houses were coming and more trees were gone.

How does getting rid of trees affect other things? 

• More stuff can fit in there, like houses, because trees take up lots of room.
• You can get a new house and then a new footpath and then a new road. 
• If we cut down trees, squirrels, birds and wood peckers wouldn’t have anywhere to lay their nest. 
• You’ll get less paper ‘cause it comes from trees and then you wouldn’t be able to draw plants. 
• If we chop down trees then birds won’t be able to lay their eggs there. 
• If we cut down trees, it’s not good because then if squirrels want to climb trees and birds want to have their nests there, how will they? 
• If we cut down trees, it’s killing nature. And nature is the most special thing in the world. Everything is nature. We are nature. Plants are nature. Trees are nature. 
• Kids can’t have cubbies in trees. 
• Well, even if we keep cutting down trees… all sorts of animals or reptiles wouldn’t be able to live in them.  
• When we were walking to my ballet, we saw a tree house. You wouldn’t be able to make tree houses.  
• If you chop trees, um, we can’t smell them. 
• If you cut down all the trees, you won’t be able to breathe and you’ll die.

So we need the trees to survive! 

• It cleans; if you breathe, it goes out from your house into a tree and the trees cleans your air.
• When I was walking to school, I saw a bird’s nest and some little eggs in there. They will break and the babies won’t survive (if we chop the tree down). 
• If you cut down trees and they can grow fruit, then we won’t be able to grow fruit and nothing would be able to live in them if we grow trees. 
• If you cut down trees, well, nothing can grow and then when you buy everything from the supermarket, the supermarket won’t be able to get anything and you when you finish all of the food in your house then you’ll die ‘cause there’ll be no air. 
• If we chop down trees and there are leaves on them, then animals wouldn’t have anything to eat. 
• If people cut down trees with leaves on them, then animals won’t be able to make their nests. 
• I once saved a parrot from a tree because the tree was about to be cut down a parrot’s nest was in it and the parrot was in it. 
• If you don’t cut down trees, you won’t have any paper to draw on. 

So should we cut down trees or not?

• Sometimes. 
• Well, it’s good to draw pictures for if your mum or dad are hurt or sick. 
• Trees clean the air. I know one reason why we don’t have steam trains anymore – they make the air dirty. Where the trains went past, there were lots of trees so the dirty air didn’t really get past.