Peter and the Tree Children

by Peter Wohlleben, Cale Atkinson (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author of the New York Times-bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees comes this spirited picture book, which shares the true story of how trees communicate, feel, and grow.

“A beautiful reminder of the importance of preserving natural forests and landscapes for the benefit of all the creatures who live there.”
—School Library Journal starred review

Piet the squirrel feels all alone in his forest home. Luckily, Peter the Forester has the perfect plan to cheer him up: a search for tree children. You can’t be lonely in a forest full of friends! As they wander, Peter shares amazing facts about trees, how they communicate and care for each other, and the struggles they endure. Soon, the little squirrel is feeling much better—especially when he realizes he’s helped the tree children grow.

This environmentally conscious picture book, written by acclaimed author and forester Peter Wohlleben, brings the majesty of The Hidden Life of Trees to the youngest of readers everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771644570
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	484,419
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Peter Wohlleben is the author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees and its followups The Inner Life of Animals and The Secret Wisdom of Nature. Peter lives in Germany next to a big, magical forest, where he has led children, parents, and teachers on educational tours since 1997. To learn more about Peter and his books, visit his website at peterwohllebenbooks.com.

Cale Atkinson is an illustrator, writer, animator currently living in Kelowna, BC. Believing in tea more than sleep, Cale is constantly working on numerous projects. His work can be found in children’s books, animated shorts, television, and games.

Editorial Reviews

02/17/2020

A lonely squirrel and an opinionated forester go on an idiosyncratic forest journey in this heavy-handed picture book. The plot—Piet, the squirrel, laments, “I am all alone. I don’t have any family,” and Peter, the forester, suggests that they search for “tree families”—awkwardly allows Wohlleben to revisit key themes from his bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, including tree communication and optimal forest management practices. Peter and Piet encounter heavy logging machinery that is creating muddy tracks and packing “the soil down so much that little trees can’t grow in it,” a sustainable forester using horses to drag logs, fragile saplings in a deforested area (their nice smell “means that the trees don’t feel so well”), and finally, butterfly-like beech “children” around a parent deep in the woods. Atkinson’s digitally rendered, non-naturalistic illustrations have a cartoonish sensibility that contrasts oddly with Wohlleben’s soulful feeling for the natural world. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

This book is a beautiful reminder of the importance of preserving natural forests and landscapes for the benefit of all the creatures who live there.”
—School Library Journal starred review

“This is a precious and timely story that emphasizes the beauty of nature when it’s carefully preserved…This high-quality picture book will likely become a favorite treasure of many children, parents, and educators.”
—San Francisco Book Review

“A beautiful picture book about trees, nature, forests, but also about family and friendship.”
—Book Riot

“With help from Atkinson's vibrant, cartoon-like illustrations, Wohlleben...aims to introduce and distill a range of topics, from concepts of interconnectedness in the natural world to tree characteristics and wildlife, for younger readers.”
—Booklist

“An engaging and thoughtful story for families to read together.”
—Mighty Village Books

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2020

Gr 2–5—Piet the squirrel has no family. When his human friend Peter mentions that beech trees have families (i.e. adult trees disperse offpsring and grow in groups), Piet becomes so curious that they set out into the forest to find them. On the way, Peter and Piet observe commercial foresters and smaller operations adversely affecting the environment; they eventually discover a grove of beech trees thriving despite the destruction around them. When the two friends return to Peter's home, Piet is sad that everyone seems to have a family except him; Peter quickly proposes that Piet stay with him so that they can become their own family. This book is a beautiful reminder of the importance of preserving natural forests and landscapes for the benefit of all the creatures who live there. Rich, striking illustrations are delightful, presented in the deep greens and browns of the forest. Together, the text and images create a story that is emotionally engaging, encouraging readers to preserve their outdoor spaces. The final page goes into more depth about tree facts. VERDICT Schools may want to integrate this important book into their collections, especially in preparation for Earth Day.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-12-18
Writing a fictionalized version of himself, naturalist Wohlleben gives lessons to orphaned talking squirrel Piet as they search for tree families in this stripped-down storybook version of The Hidden Life of Trees (2016).

Both Peter and Piet have cartoonlike faces with round, black eyes, and the scenery—bright with earth tones and generic foliage—also resembles bland commercial animation. While Peter presents as a ruddy-faced white man sporting a gray beard, the only other named human—Dana—is a woman of color, dressed in overalls and engaged in sustainable forestry. Kudos for this. Otherwise, the text tries too hard to intersperse interesting facts about trees and squirrels—some rudimentary, others relatively obscure—into a simplistic plot: Lonely squirrel seeks family; takes walk with Peter; still feels lonely; gains Peter as family. Among other things, young readers learn that trees often need the protection of older, taller trees to grow up properly; that heavy equipment compacts earth too hard for seeds to get started; that hawks prey on squirrels; that squirrels help start beech seedlings; that some trees release an orange-smelling distress signal. Oddly, Peter gives no credit to people planting saplings in the wake of deforestation, since these unprotected trees will "have a hard life" without families. Can You Hear the Trees Talking? (2019) superbly adapted Wohlleben's bestseller for middle graders; this patronizing attempt to bring it to a still younger audience fails.

Overworn coattails. (foreword, endnotes) (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews