Tree (Claire Saxby, illus Jess Racklyeft, A&U Children’s)

Tree, by multi-award-winning picture book creators Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft, explores the life of a mighty mountain ash, the tallest in a forest of tall trees. Similar to their previous collaboration, Iceberg, which won the 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award, this new work combines educational facts about nature with charming language and striking illustrations. It also offers a fold-out page showcasing the full length of this forest giant (not to scale!). The world of the tree is multifaceted, and beyond its roots that drink water and its leaves that use light to make energy, it also provides shelter and sustenance for a variety of creatures, big and small. Within this world, slaters curl by the layered leaf litter, a robin perches on a wattle branch, and a greater glider makes a home in a hollow. We see the various ways the tree supports the life around it from day to night, with the artwork illuminating the different colours of the landscape and the details of the fauna. 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 reviewer: Karys McEwen is a librarian, bookseller, author, and the vice president of CBCA VIC Branch. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews