The Leaf Detective

Meg Lowman was determined to investigate the marvellous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops. Meg's perseverance and creativity allowed her to achieve this goal, but when this fantastic ecosystem started to disappear, Meg needed to act quickly.

The Leaf Detective is a picture book biography that tells the story of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist described as a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic. She was determined to explore the marvellous and uncharted world of the rainforest treetops.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head - the colours, the branches, and most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. She set out to climb up and investigate the rainforest tree canopies - aiming to be the first scientist to do so. However, she encountered numerous challenges. Male teachers refused to let her into their classrooms, accessing the high canopy was difficult, and troublingly, people were logging and clearing the forests.

Meg never gave up or gave in. She studied, invented, and persevered, not only creating a future for herself as a scientist but also ensuring that the rainforests had a future as well. Working closely with Meg Lowman, author Heather Lang and artist Jana Christy beautifully capture Meg's world in the treetops.