What a special book to be reviewing at the start of National Tree Week. The Girl who Talked to Trees is an enchanting story which celebrates the wonder, majesty and history of our trees.
Olive has always been quiet. She would rather spend all day in the grand oak tree in her garden than with other children her age. When her father threatens to cut down the tree to build a summer house, Olive knows she needs to stop him, she just isn't sure how. Luckily, the trees that grow across the parkland, from the gossiping wild apples to the stunning tulip, know exactly what she needs to do, so long as she is brave enough to keep her promise to them.
My daughter tried to claim this book as soon as it arrived in the post, but I had to steal it back so that I could read it in time for the tour! It's back in her room now though, and I know she is going to love this magical story just as much as I did.
This book celebrates not just nature, but storytelling, with seven mini stories that were each exciting and often surprising - and cleverly linked to the trees that were telling them. Olive remains our companion throughout them all, brave and thoughtful in the face of danger, and endlessly curious in pursuit of adventure, but always mindful of her promise and her duty to the trees.
I really loved all of the facts about trees which are woven both into the stories and displayed on the beautiful 'tree fact' pages at the start of each tree's tale. My children were amazed when I told them that oak trees could live for over a thousand years! There is a really important passage in the Tulip Tree's tale which I've included in one of the pictures above, which encourages readers to think about our relationship with trees and our responsibility towards them.
This book would make a wonderful Christmas present for young nature fans. Visually, it's such a treat. I love all of the tiny, clever details I've spotted on the cover since finishing. The illustrations inside are full of colour and life. The alder's story shifts the colour pallet from green to blue, with the wild apple's tale changing it again to soft pink. I now really want to find out where I can go to see a Tulip Tree in real life as its illustration was stunning.
Thank you so much Zephyr Books and Laura Smythe for sending me a copy for review and letting me be a part of this tour.
The Girl Who Talked to Trees is written by Natasha Farrant and illustrated by Lydia Corry