Tree Thing: A highly illustrated story by an award-winning author

By Author / Illustrator

Piers Torday, Matthew Taylor Wilson

Genre

Environment & Nature

Age range(s)

Publisher

Quercus Children's Group

ISBN

9781786541482

Format

Hardback

Published

15-01-2026

Synopsis

Gorgeously illustrated and with a classic feel, this story celebrates bravery, hope and the marvels of the natural world. When the dark rider on a horse arrives, Marlo's bravery is the only thing standing between Tree Thing and certain destruction . . . An unmissable tale from award-winning Piers Torday.

Once, in a faraway land, a green thing squeezed out of the earth. The mysterious Tree Thing, which changes Marlo's life forever.

Nothing grows in Marlo's valley, and it's a struggle to survive. But when his squirrel Rinti finds a glowing emerald acorn, it grows into a miraculous Tree Thing. Tree Thing changes everything, bringing life and hope. And when the shadowy Rider arrives with an axe, Marlo needs all his bravery and ingenuity to stand between triumph and disaster.

From the acclaimed, award-winning Piers Torday comes an unforgettable fable for all ages, a brilliantly illustrated story for young and old.

Reviews

Louisa

When a green thing grows out of the ground - 'for that is how the story always begins' - it brings with it life and change. But the Tree Thing is destroyed when the shadowy Rider leads a bunch of people to chop it down - 'same old story'. But wait! A jay and a squirrel bring its glowing emerald acorn to a valley where nothing grows. Marlo and his family are barely surviving here until Tree Thing sprouts again, bringing life and hope to the whole village. For a while, all is good. Then - 'same old story' - the shadowy Rider arrives with an axe . . . Will Marlo be brave enough to stand between triumph and disaster?

This haunting tale is contemplative rather than gripping, written in lyrical language with each word sensitively, carefully chosen. It's prose but could almost be poetry. The book is not just a story but a beautiful object; alongside the writing, expressive black and white illustrations enhance the atmosphere and drama of the fable. At times the tone is melancholy, but it is never frightening and there is a strongly hopeful ending.

There's no breathless narrative to race through; Tree Thing is a book that repays slow and thoughtful reading. It doesn't preach and could be used to promote all kinds of interesting discussions about change and acceptance, destruction and regrowth, environmental damage and repair.

192 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher