Young Adult Book Blitz: Forest Legend - The Tale of Ol' Split Toe by Dan Ellens

Ancient woods remember everything. Forest Legend: The Tale of Ol’ Split Toe leans into that idea with a story shaped by time, survival, and the uneasy push-and-pull between humanity and the natural world.

With a young adult lens and an environmental thread running through it, this book looks poised to blend adventure with reflection, tracing how one forest—and one extraordinary deer—witnesses generations of change, conflict, and resilience. For readers drawn to nature-centered fiction, time-spanning journeys, and stories that carry both urgency and heart, this one has a lot to catch the eye.

The Tale of Ol' Split Toe

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Science & Nature/Environment Science Fiction/Time Travel Literature & Fiction/Action & Adventure

Date Published: 03-31-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

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about the book

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 clearcutting 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.

buy the book

Amazon Paperback

Amazon eBook

about the author

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.

Dan has written four nonfiction books intended to inspire adventure, promote self-sufficient lifestyles, and connect people with nature.

While not in the wilds, Dan and his wife live in the small community of Salem, Michigan.

connect with the author

LinkedIn: Daniel S. Ellens