A lyrical walk through the life cycle of trees. ( )

Through a sequence of colourful double-page spreads, the evolution of a forest is illustrated. Using the statement Before… on the right-hand page, followed by a response on the subsequent left-hand page, the description of a tree from maturity, to young tree, to sapling, to sprout, to seed is described with a focus on communication between trees at each of these phases.

Illustrations give the feeling of being in a majestic forest by showing children looking up and then giving a view of looking down. The subsequent images show how gradually a tree grew, in reverse order. Animals, plants and humans are part of these scenes, as is the yearly cycle of the seasons. The illustrations are made with watercolour, gouache, coloured pencil and finished digitally.

At the end of the book, the author’s notes include a paragraph about: the mighty kingdom, layers of the forest, odds of success and wildlife. Sources in the form of books, films and websites are listed. Many people, biologists, horticulturalists, a forest manager, etc. have contributed to the making of this book.

I look forward to sharing it with my library classes soon. It will be featured by the Toronto Botanical Garden’s storytime on November 20th at 10-11 via zoom. https://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/feature/storytime-in-the-garden/

Reviewed by Katharina (Tina) Hausen
Edited by Thien Sa Hoang