Additional information
by Marilyn Slaughter Ed D. (Author), Angel Neha (Illustrator)
This short story continues with a mom encouraging her children to experience fun outdoors and learning about the environment. Mom even joins in with her children's activities at the national park in their town. The friendship between mom, Nathan and Iris with Ranger Lisa and Gob the gnome is emotional, caring and deeply rooted in concerns for the importance of maintaining the park's trees and ecosystem. Iris stands out in this story as she now understands how important bees are to the growth of trees, our breathing and balance of the ecosystem. Iris comes out of her shell at school and discusses what she has learned about bees and the ecosystem with her third-grade classmates to encourage support for a community garden. Gob, Mera, and Nancy all had emotional concerns about the lack of bees in the forest. With Nathan, Iris, their mom, and Ranger Lisa, some of the bees returned to the national park, Gob and the other gnomes are happy again.
Since the 1400s, folklore has described gnomes as guardians of treasure and the protectors of Earth. Gnomes represent stability, growth, and good luck. This is the fifth book of the six-book series about Gob the gnome. The six-book series all revolve around a gnome, the protector of a local forest, who becomes friends with Nathan and Iris and helps to educate them about the importance of caring for the environment.
