Tree

By Author / Illustrator

Claire Saxby, Jess Racklyeft

Genre

Environment

Age range(s)

Publisher

Allen & Unwin Children's Books

ISBN

9781761069505

Format

Hardback

Published

03-04-2024

Synopsis

Can you see the forest on this misty-morning mountain? Can you see where the tree stands? It is the tallest in this forest of tall trees. This tree is older than those who find it, younger than the land it grows from. Between sapwood and heartwood, water rises and energy flows. Listen to the leaves bustle. Smell the forest air. This is the world of the tree.

In the vein of Iceberg - marrying deep scientific research, lyrical language and stunning illustrations - multi-award-winning and highly acclaimed creators Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft return with a change in environment, from ocean to land. Their new collaboration follows a mighty tree, from the bottom of its roots up to the tips of its upper branches.

Iceberg won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award and was a Notable Book in the Eve Pownall Awards. 'Tree invites readers into the forest, asking them to close their eyes to imagine the sounds and breathe in the fresh air. Curious young minds aged 5+ will lap up this journey of discovery.' Books+Publishing

See Iceberg by the same creators

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Reviews

Tree is the story of a 300-year-old mountain ash in Australia and all the creatures that live on or around that tree. Written by the team that created the award-winning Iceberg, this is a combination of picture book and fact, told in a lyrical voice. It talks about the roots and the highest branches and the animals that dwell there, moving up from the bottom to a glorious opening page at the end that shows the tree in its full glory.

I don't know all the animals and birds mentioned, I'd never even heard of a spotted pardalote (it is a bird), but it is fun to try and find each animal mentioned in the text. As with Iceberg, the pictures are wonderful and fit perfectly with the text. The authors are not afraid to use more complex language and ideas and even if a small child might not know the meaning of every single word, the meanings become clear with the reading and the illustrations.

I put 5+ as a suitable age, but I think this is a book that can be read by older children and enjoyed for the illustrations and the non fiction content. The authors are a team that produce wonderful books of a consistently high standard that can be luxuriated in by children whilst they learn about new places and their inhabitants.

Picture book / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher