The Story
Mother Nature struggles to maintain equilibrium in a changing world while fire, disease, logging, human displacement, and war repeatedly destroy forests of centuries-old trees. Split Toe, a deer chosen at birth for a unique education, travels through time to understand the interconnected workings of a Michigan forest. He meets humans along the way: Ice Age hunters who trap and kill a mastodon; Mukwoh, a young Ojibwe hunter who stalks Split Toe through swamp and forest; loggers clear-cutting Michigan's white pines; Edra, a woman advocating for the trees; Angus and Grace, pioneers who become a first generation of family farmers; scientists from the future studying the impact of nuclear radiation.
Split Toe witnesses two hundred years of conflict building between modern humans-who fight to control the natural world-and Mother Nature, who repeatedly reaches for balance. He wonders whether human ways will ultimately overpower Mother Nature, until he meets a boy who changes everything.
Author: Dan Ellens
Publisher: Mission Point Press
Published: 03/31/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781968761073
Audience: Young Adult
About the Author
Ellens, Dan: - Dan Ellens is an outdoor enthusiast who is passionate about connecting people with nature. He spends nearly half of each year in an isolated, electricity-free treehouse on Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary with woodstove heat, handpump water, and oil lamp lighting. His daily off-grid life includes caring for the sanctuary, hosting the sanctuary's guests, all of the activities of a self-sufficient lifestyle, observing the natural surroundings and animal behavior, and drawing and writing. Dan has written four nonfiction books intended to inspire adventure, promote self-sufficient lifestyles, and connect people with nature. He is also author of the email-blog, Michigan Forest Life, which includes more than 850 posts since 2018.Dan was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is retired from a full career in industry and international business. When asked, Dan says his education places him in a large group of people with mechanical engineering and MBA degrees.Dan is an accomplished woodworker and carpenter. He is a hobby artist and is passionate about rescuing, restoring, and finding new homes for fine art. He loves exploring the possibilities of off-grid electricity-free cooking and baking. While not in the wilds, Dan's home is in the small community of Salem, Michigan.
This title is not returnable
Description
Mother Nature struggles to maintain equilibrium in a changing world while fire, disease, logging, human displacement, and war repeatedly destroy forests of centuries-old trees. Split Toe, a deer chosen at birth for a unique education, travels through time to understand the interconnected workings of a Michigan forest. He meets humans along the way: Ice Age hunters who trap and kill a mastodon; Mukwoh, a young Ojibwe hunter who stalks Split Toe through swamp and forest; loggers clear-cutting Michigan's white pines; Edra, a woman advocating for the trees; Angus and Grace, pioneers who become a first generation of family farmers; scientists from the future studying the impact of nuclear radiation.
Split Toe witnesses two hundred years of conflict building between modern humans-who fight to control the natural world-and Mother Nature, who repeatedly reaches for balance. He wonders whether human ways will ultimately overpower Mother Nature, until he meets a boy who changes everything.
Author: Dan Ellens
Publisher: Mission Point Press
Published: 03/31/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781968761073
Audience: Young Adult
About the Author
Ellens, Dan: - Dan Ellens is an outdoor enthusiast who is passionate about connecting people with nature. He spends nearly half of each year in an isolated, electricity-free treehouse on Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary with woodstove heat, handpump water, and oil lamp lighting. His daily off-grid life includes caring for the sanctuary, hosting the sanctuary's guests, all of the activities of a self-sufficient lifestyle, observing the natural surroundings and animal behavior, and drawing and writing. Dan has written four nonfiction books intended to inspire adventure, promote self-sufficient lifestyles, and connect people with nature. He is also author of the email-blog, Michigan Forest Life, which includes more than 850 posts since 2018.Dan was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is retired from a full career in industry and international business. When asked, Dan says his education places him in a large group of people with mechanical engineering and MBA degrees.Dan is an accomplished woodworker and carpenter. He is a hobby artist and is passionate about rescuing, restoring, and finding new homes for fine art. He loves exploring the possibilities of off-grid electricity-free cooking and baking. While not in the wilds, Dan's home is in the small community of Salem, Michigan.
This title is not returnable
