forests

Forests by Nell Cross Beckerman – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Forests by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by Kalen Chock

Publisher: Orchard Books

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9781546130970

Enter a variety of forests from across the world in this nonfiction picture book. Start with the wonder of a deciduous forest at night and then explore it during the day. There is information on roots and fungi and then the drama of a forest wildfire and how trees survive. The book moves on to a kelp forest in the ocean, the beauty of a forest hosting butterflies. It includes the Amazonian rainforest and a bamboo forest in Japan, each with its own visuals, sounds and facts. 

All of the facts shared are fascinating and add to the understanding of how forests work together and how humans impact them for good and bad. There is a sense of wonder as each page turns and reveals a different forest or a new aspect of the same one. The digital illustrations are arrestingly beautiful from the beam of the flashlight on the first pages to the destructive beauty of fire to the cool greens of bamboo. Each image embraces the colors of the landscape, comparing and contrasting visually.

A detailed and interesting glimpse of forests both familiar and new. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge, illustrated by Emily Gravett (9781419777783)

Feather has never met a stranger before, since her community has been isolated along the decaying wall. So when he asks her for a favor, she helps him and manages to lose one of her group’s most valuable items, a spyglass for spotting oncoming danger. Now Feather must follow the stranger into along the wall and close to the dangers of the Forest where vines strangle and plants take over. Animals and insect grow huge and aggressive. As she travels, Feather finds safe places to hide at night, walking during the day and eventually finds small groups of other people living along the wall, each with their own societies and solutions for survival. Feather has to catch up to the stranger, save the spyglass and perhaps then she can return home to her family without disgrace.

As always, Hardinge’s text is extraordinary. She paints a vivid world being steadily devoured by the Forest and its invasive branches. Feather is such a small heroine against this sea of woods, the isolation of her journey, and the small moments of kindness. She shines against the darkness, alone and afraid but driven to fix what she has done. Gravett’s illustrations depict with some humor the daunting height of the wall, the dangers that Feather faces and the ingenuity of people in the face of destruction.

Perfect for sharing aloud thanks to the great pairing of text and illustration. Like Feather, this is a journey you must finish. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy provided by Amulet Books.

Seven Ways Through the Woods by Jenn Reese – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Seven Ways Through the Woods by Jenn Reese, illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz (9780063356269)

When you come to a dark forest, you have several ways to enter it. First, you can simply follow the path where others have walked before you. It’s not exciting, but it’s an option. There are six other choices that are a lot more fun. Perhaps riding a griffin? Or taking the sprite tunnels? Or finding a portal flower. The seventh way is only for the bravest explorers. That way is to leave the path and stay in the magical forest, not seeing it as an obstacle but a destination. 

I didn’t know much about this picture book when I started reading that thought that it might be focused on nature and hiking. I was overjoyed to find that it took a magical turn into sprites, moss giants, griffins and more. The text keeps the tone of a guide narrator, much like a regular hiking book, which adds to the charm. The illustrations from the beginning are rich and colorful, using the digital format to create saturated tones that glow. 

Pure forest magic. Appropriate for ages 4-7. 

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Greenwillow.

The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming – Book review

| Tasha

The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (9781665924870)

A diverse group of children head into a redwood forest filled with the giant trees. They follow a path bordered by ferns along the creek. The forest is filled with bird song and cool canyon air. They continue to follow the water until they reach a dramatic waterfall. They see animals that are fast and slow, high and low. Sunlight drenches some areas and never reaches the inside of the cave they enter. When they reach the open air of the hillside, they see that everything is both big and small at the same time.

Told in non-rhyming poetic lines, this picture book celebrates the joy of hiking in the wilderness with friends. There is a jaunty rhythm to the book that works well with the footfalls of a hike, the dramatic reveals and the small joys. The illustrations are merry and bright, the cave filled with its own sort of lights, and the varied terrain makes for an entertaining read. 

This merry picture book celebrates getting outside and moving. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Beach Lane Books.

2 New Picture Books to Connect with Nature

| Tasha

Here are a pair of newer picture books that celebrate our connection with nature and invite young ones to head out and explore:

Forest Song by Kirsten Hall & Evan Turk (9780593480366)

Explore poetry and nature together in this gorgeous picture book. Hall has written a poem that pays clever homage to great poets such as Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, and Edgar Allen Poe. The illustrations by award-winning Turk are rich with color, riotous with swirls and an invitation into the drama of the forest. Combined with the lyrical language, this book is a celebration of the woods.

Appropriate for ages 4-8 and can be used with older children to explore poetry. Reviewed from library copy.

A Pocket Full of Rocks by Kristin Mahoney, illustrated by E.B. Goodale (9780593428542)

Fill your pockets with a young child as the seasons change. From rocks in winter to petals in spring, shells in summer and acorns in fall. Layer them all together in a glass jar to see your year. Reach for them in your pocket when you need some comfort. This picture book celebrates seasons through the senses, touching each item, listening to them and pretending with them too. The illustrations are marvelously simple and yet filled with a magic of fairies and nature.

Appropriate for ages 3-7. Reviewed from library copy.

If You Go Down to the Woods Today by Rachel Piercey

| Tasha
Cover image for If You Go Down to the Woods Today.

If You Go Down to the Woods Today by Rachel Piercey, illustrated by Freya Hartas (9781419751585)

Enter a woodsy world full of animal characters in this picture book that invites children to find things in the busy and bustling images. Bear brings readers to his home in the woods. The first images focus on spring in the woods with green grass, flowers and bird nests. Readers then get a glimpse of each animal’s home in the woods, including burrows, nests, and trees. Youngsters head to school, and bunny celebrates a birthday underground. Summer arrives with Field Day, the beauty of life in the treetops, swimming, picnics and even a play. Autumn comes with rainy days, art and campfires. Then finally, winter brings icy sports, a winter feast and the sleepiness of hibernation.

Each of the double-page illustrations is accompanied with a poem that speaks to that season and what is happening on the pages. The rhymes are jaunty and add to the fun of the book. Then there is a list of items to spot that asks readers to look very closely at the illustrations before them. It’s a woodsy and outdoor version of Waldo.

The illustrations are a pure joy and full of small elements of charm. Flowers, grass, falling leaves, roots, berries and more fill the pages with the season. The busy illustrations show a community of creatures happily living together in the woods filled with a warm coziness and acceptance of one another.

A perfect book to curl up with and explore. This would make an ideal book to take on a summer road trip. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Magic Cat.

The Perfect Plan by Leah Gilbert

| Tasha

The Perfect Plan by Leah Gilbert (9781547605262)

Maya dreams of having the “most incredible and wonderful” fort in the woods. So she researches, designs, plans and gathers supplies. Then she found the perfect spot in the woods for it. But when she started trying to build the fort, it didn’t turn out the way she had planned. But Maya didn’t give up. She went to the beavers at the river and asked them for help. They soon had plenty of branches, but they were too heavy to move. Maya spotted a moose in the trees and asked the moose to help them lift the branches high into the trees. But none of them could climb well enough. So Maya asked the bears for help. Soon they had a frame, but it wouldn’t stay in place. Maya and her team called to the birds for help and they twisted and wound vines around the frame to hold it. The fort was almost perfect, but then a storm blew in and Maya had to go home. Would the fort be ruined after all their hard work?

This story shows how working together and having each creature use their own unique talents can create something very special. At first, the book has Maya working in a solitary way with her own plans. That quickly changes when she needs help and asks for it. As the book proceeds, the words Maya uses to describe the fort they are building change too, to better reflect what that creature brings to the overall project. It’s a dynamic use of language, showing how Maya’s perspective changes with the help of others.

Gilbert’s art really reveals the magic of the forest on the page. Her illustrations are luminous with streaks and rays of sunlight coming through the trees. The greens are fresh and welcoming while the rainstorm is a threatening purple in the sky. The use of colors is very effective throughout the book.

A STEM look at building a fort with friends. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Bloomsbury.

Lights on Wonder Rock by David Litchfield

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Lights on Wonder Rock by David Litchfield

Lights on Wonder Rock by David Litchfield (9780358359531)

Heather has read all kinds of information about outer space and aliens. She longs to leave earth and head into the stars. So out in the woods, she picks a large rock, sits on it and shines her flashlight into the night sky, turning it on and off. She waits in the quiet darkness, until suddenly dazzling light surrounds her. A flying saucer in rainbow lights lands nearby and a friendly alien invites her on board. But when she hears her parents searching for her, Heather leaves the spaceship and returns home. Heater continued to return to the rock for years, growing up and sharing her dreams with her own children. More time passed and Heather came to the rock less often, but occasionally went with a flashlight to shine it into the sky. Then one day, it happened again. Will Heather go with the alien this time?

This picture book uses only the barest of text to support its incredible illustrations. Told primarily in a graphic novel format, the text shares information and back story with the reader. It is particularly effective to ensure that readers see the passage of time as Heather returns to the rock over the years. A handful of sentences sprinkled like stars across the black page.

The illustrations are marvelous, filled with hope and light. The rock anchors many of the images, large and unchanging despite the passage of time. Heather changes over the years, subtly putting on weight around her middle, her hair graying slightly. The light also changes, moving through seasons, streaming through the trees, remaining stubbornly non-rainbow and non-glittery until the dazzling time the spaceship returns.

Satisfying and engaging science fiction for preschoolers. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books. 

What Could That Be? by Reza Dalvand

| Tasha

What Could That Be by Reza Dalvand

What Could That Be? by Reza Dalvand (9781338530193)

On a beautiful day, something small lay in the middle of a clearing in the forest. The thing glittered red and green. The leopard believes it is one of her spots that has fallen off and runs off to warn the others. The crow thinks it is part of a star and that the entire sky may be collapsing. The fox and bear thought it might be something that would bring humans into the forest. The owl was certain it was a dragon’s egg. The cat thought it might be poop and covered it up. Throughout the forest confusion rang out, but that was a long time ago. The thing is still there. What could it be?

This picture book is a delightful mix of Chicken Little fears and an unsolvable mystery for the reader. The book is filled with the theories from different creatures in the woods, almost all of them leading to a sense of panic, even though they really don’t know what the object is. Readers will expect to have the question solved by the end of the story, but this Swiss import has a more European twist. It leaves the question still open, ready for readers to fill in the blank.

The illustrations are done in oil and crayons. They depict a rainbow-colored forest filled with animals of many colors, some of them just as bright and varied as the trees themselves. The bright colors add to the imaginative feel of the tale, tying it nicely to folklore.

One enigma offers plenty of solutions, do you have one? Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Scholastic.