▁though ▁his ▁family ▁had ▁played ▁on ▁it ▁for ▁years , ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁know ▁how ▁old ▁it ▁was ▁or ▁how ▁its ▁un character istic ▁curve ▁had ▁developed . ▁Su zu ki , ▁a ▁science ▁writer ▁and ▁broad c aster , ▁and ▁former ▁zo ologist , ▁spec ulated ▁that ▁the ▁soil ▁might ▁have ▁sl id ▁when ▁the ▁tree ▁was ▁young ▁or ▁that ▁another ▁plant ▁might ▁have ▁blocked ▁the ▁sun light . ▁He ▁thought ▁that ▁the ▁tree ▁must ▁have ▁end ured ▁much ▁hard ship ▁throughout ▁its ▁life ▁and ▁made ▁a ▁connection ▁between ▁bi ograph ies ▁of ▁people ▁and ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁this ▁tree ' s ▁life . ▁It ▁also ▁rem ind ed ▁him ▁of ▁an ▁idea ▁he ▁had ▁for ▁a ▁children ' s ▁book ▁about ▁inter connect ivity ▁of ▁life , ▁especially ▁within ▁plants . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁a ▁research ▁assistant , ▁he ▁studied ▁the ▁topic . ▁Su zu ki ▁started ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁draft ▁but ▁a ▁busy ▁schedule ▁inter fer ed ▁so ▁he ▁sought ▁a ▁collabor ator . ▁Science ▁writer ▁and ▁former ▁H arrow sm ith ▁editor ▁Wayne ▁Gr ady ▁agreed ▁to ▁particip ate . ▁Su zu ki ▁provided ▁the ▁research , ▁framework , ▁and ▁some ▁original ▁writing ▁and ▁Gr ady ▁did ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁writing . ▁T ogether , ▁Gr ady ▁in ▁Ontario ▁and ▁Su zu ki ▁in ▁V ancouver , ▁went ▁through ▁five ▁draft s . ▁Wild life ▁artist ▁Robert ▁Bat eman ▁was ▁brought ▁into ▁the ▁project ▁through ▁social ▁connections ▁between ▁the ▁w ives ▁of ▁Bat eman ▁and ▁Su zu ki .