Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto for the ARC of this! I messed up and didn’t get around to it before it disappeared, so I’ve been waiting not so patiently on my library to get this and hook me up 😂

This was a cute non-fiction book, with adorable artwork. I kept turning the screen to my husband to point out the next cute critter. There was a blend of facts and folklore from around the world. This felt like a good starter book about trees, no surprising facts (even though I often pick up a thing or two in kids non-fiction) but the included facts were pleasingly arranged and the included folklore stories could help keep interest high.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great j-non-fiction book about trees. Lots of illustrations and information for kids to gather in this book that reads like a picture book.

This is a wonderful book. Beautifully illustrated and written, it’s the type of book that will be pored over again and again.

This beautifully-illustrated book about trees is informative and entertaining. Children will be entertained while learning and using their imagination to explore the secret life of trees.

The Secret Life of Trees: Explore the Forests of the World, with Oakheart the Brave by Moira Butterfield is currently scheduled for release on August 18 2020.

Did you know that trees can talk to each other? Or that the oldest living thing is a tree? Let the ancient and mysterious Oakheart, the oldest and wisest tree in the forest, lead you through this beautiful guide to trees. Learn all about how they grow and survive, the many different types, why they are so important to humans, and tree folklore from around the world. Oakheart knows all the trees’ secrets, and he’s going to share them with you! This collection of delightful stories and engaging facts will impart a love of nature, and inspire you to look after the world around you. Whimsical and detailed illustrations have pride of place in magical tales that mix natural history with a splash of fantasy, creating a book that you will pore over time and again.

The Secret Life of Trees is a nice blending of stories and science. The stories will capture the attention of readers. I like the science and nature information that is layered between those stories, and while I knew most of it already I think young readers will be engaged with those sections as much as the stories. I thought the illustrations were whimsical and nicely colored, but I would have like a few more bold colors and lines. However, that is about personal preference, not the skill of the artist.

The Secret Life of Trees is a book that will become a fast favorite for some readers and families, but it did not wow me.

A beautifully illustrated book that gives you an insight into the little-known life of the silent giant that is the tree.
Kids and adults will be enraptured by this enchanting book, perfect for curling up with on a rainy day. Factual and fun, there is plenty to learn in the pages of this wonderful book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

'The Secret Life of Trees' is a cute book with a different sort of premise. It aims to teach children about trees through scientific information intertwined with lore and myth. It will not be everyone's cup of tea but if your kiddo connects then it will be a winner.

Narrated by Oakheart, the oldest tree in the forest, this wonderful, whimsical picture book shares fun stories that tell of the life cycle of trees around the world in both a fun and educational way.

Full of stories and information that share how trees are planted, how they grow, how they eat, what animals and insects dwell in them, this fascinating book will keep your little ones busy listening and learning.

The stories are simple yet fascinating, with some leaning towards popular folklore and mythology. There's lots of extra information to go along with the stories. One tells of seeds and mentions that they come in different forms--from nuts, some from cones, and others from fruit--and shares some of those fruits and how you can find and harvest the seeds in the margins.

Oakheart also tells us about different kinds of forests, where they are, and what kind of critters live in them. He tells us all about tree's bark and how different animals and insects can live inside of trees, and so much more! You're sure to learn something new from this fun picture book!

We found this book incredibly interesting! Such a diverse set of texts all about trees. I really enjoyed reading all the scientific facts to my son! I learnt quite a lot! He really enjoyed listening to me read the poems out loud. The Secret Life of Trees is also stunning to look at. I will be buying a copy for real life!

There are two things that make a picture book successful--great illustrations, and clear text. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. You really get a sense of the magic of trees, and there's a distinct fairy-tale quality to the overall book. Unfortunately though, the text of this book doesn't accomplish what it sets out to do.

With children's books, it's important clarify fiction vs. nonfiction. This book blends the two by having the fictional Oakheart teach children about trees through poetry, myths and fairy tales, factoids, charts, and illustrations. But there's little visual distinction (other than the myths using an italicized font) between fact and fiction. Perhaps Oakheart's speaking parts could have been in quotation marks so it was clear he was a character in the book. I also found the structure, lyrical quality, and design of Oakheart's narration similar to poetry, but when you read it closely, it's not quite poetry.

It seems like this book was written by someone who wanted to write a book of lyrical verse about trees for children, but was persuaded by an editor/publisher to turn it into a nonfiction book. This book can't decide what it wants to be, and so it doesn't do either thing well. It's too lyrical and jumbled and unclear to be a good nonfiction book, but it has too many facts and figures about trees to be a good fiction/poetry work. The title is also misleading--the book is about tree facts in general, and not forests of the world.

I wouldn't purchase this book.

This was an absolute delight. It is a book filled with fantasy, facts and beautiful imagery all narrated from the perspective of a tree called Oakheart the Brave. In our current climate, with more and more young people moving away from the natural world in favour of the electronic screen this is the type of book to engage children into the wonder and beauty of the outside. Filled with magic as well as scientific fact it enraptures and instructs. I totally loved it and will be buying several copies as gifts for the young people in my life.

There are certain topic of books that always capture my attention; trees are one of those topics and I was thrilled discovering this book as refreshingly new in manner. I loved the unique style of this book, it's like a secret journal of a tree, Oakenheart The Brave.

The author has cleverly interspersed a medley of poetry, stories and information into an anthology style text that flows beautifully. Not only do we span the life of Oakheart The Brave, we follow his seasonal rhythm throughout the year as we head into each season in turn. We learn about what trees need and the creatures that share their space through delicate imagery and succinct detail. A wonderful children's book that we will be adding to the our shelves.

I was excited to get this book after reading the description. After reading several pages I couldn't quite get past the organization of the book. I was hoping for a story told by Oakheart the tree, but the story was disjointed as it pulled in folklore, science facts and illustrations. I could possibly pick and choose different parts to share with students or other readers but this is not a book I found myself wanting to read cover to cover. I was definitely hoping for something more.

This is a book that I feel had great promise but instead it ended up falling flat for me. For me there was just a lot that was amiss while the presentation was all over the place.

First of all the title is a bit on the too lengthy side while it also provides a bit of a conflict on the subject. The first part of the title suggests that the book is focused on presenting information about trees but the second part suggests that it is an exploration of the forests of the world. Getting into the actual book you find out that it is more on individual tree information rather than exploring the forests as there are only a few paragraphs about three types of forests but not much in-depth exploration of them.

At the same time the writing style was all over the place and this would most definitely be your type of book if you want to showcase so many styles in one place. It starts off with a joke and letter to the reader before sliding into nonfiction. Soon after there is a bit of badly re-told folklore/mythoi before sliding back down the road but in no particular order. Furthermore there is a recipe form, some badly done poetry and also some green movement writing at the end.

The illustrations are brightly colored but some of the characters shown are a bit on the wonky side. As a result they were more or less cartoonish.

All in all it just wasn't my type of book and I couldn't think of recommending it to any other even for the much younger reading audience.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

These poems and short stories were great to read. I read these with my third grader and kindergartner as both part of their learning about plants, as well as broken up, one each night at bedtime. The book spurred more questions about trees and plant life cycles.

Come along with Oakheart the Brave as he takes you on a journey to learn about his own kind: trees! This book is a cute collection of facts and stories. There are folktales about trees from around the world mixed in with fun facts, such as how a tree grows, different types of forests and trees, counting tree rings, and how trees communicate! When "Oakheart" relates the facts it is like he is sharing insider information. And the folktales/legends were amazing! So much fun to hear different stories from places like Hungary, Persia, and Scotland!

The illustrations are also beautiful and enhance the fairy tale feeling of this book!

Your little reader will enjoy learning about the trees with Oakheart! YOU need this book if you would like to spark a love and appreciation of nature in your child! This would also make a good living book for nature study in homeschool!

5 magically educational stars!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

It is informational and has some tales/stores that involve them. It is a good visual for kids about trees. A good introduction to how they grow, animals that depend on them and more. Really enjoyed.

What a lovely surprise! I read this quickly and it would be a great pairing or starting point for my Wishtree unit. I would highly recommend this also for poetry elements, recipe or how to writing, and for perspective writing (as it's told from the perspective of the tree). #TheSecretLifeofTrees #NetGalley

Such a cute book - beautifully illustrated and full of great information - I was learning right alongside my kids! They loved this book!

A lovely combination of scientific fact and fantasy, this title will draw in young readers who gravitate to both fiction and nonfiction selections. The soft color palette and playful illustrations add charm to this book narrated by Oakheart, who conveys information about different kinds of trees, forests, seasons, and animals with the added attraction of tree-related tales that have originated in different parts of the world. This book succeeds as a read-aloud for a single sitting, but the wealth of information conveyed makes it likely that readers will return to favorite sections that can be enjoyed without reading the book in its entirety.