Only the Trees know is a simple story with a nice lesson at the core. Late in winter young rabbit has grown tired of the cold and wind, the lack of friends who have either migrated or are hibernating. Impatient for spring, he asks his parents and then his grandmother when winter will be over. His parents say spring will come “in its own time,” but his grandmother tells him only the trees know and to ask them. The trees, though, don’t seem to hear him when he tries to get their attention. But as he rests quietly, he starts to notice small things—the smell of soil. The sounds of birdsong, the hit of a bud on a limb.

The language is simple and sometimes a but familiar, such as calling snow a blanket, but that’s obviously less of an issue with children’s books. It has a nice rhythm often, and makes use of a lot of doubling. The lesson of waiting patiently is a good one for small children, as is the idea of being open to the little things around you. The illustrations are clean and uncluttered and softly colored, and the winter scenes especially early on are lovely. Simple, as noted, but a good read aloud.

Only the Trees Know focuses on a young bunny who wishes that it was spring. He asks his parents and grandmama when it will be spring, but they cannot answer him. When he takes his grandmama's advice and asks the trees, he becomes frustrated that they do not answer him back. On top of discussing what the winter means for animals, this book would be great to read with children about how they act when they are frustrated.

Little Rabbit is tired of the long, cold winter. He wants to have green grass to play with his friends. He asks his parents when spring will come and they tell him he has to wait and be patient. But Little Rabbit is not good at waiting or being patient. He asks his grandmother, who is the oldest and wisest rabbit in the forest, "When will spring come?" Grandmama tells him that only the trees know and he must ask them. This is a fun little book with a cute storyline and Cinyee Chiu's illustrations are interesting even though all are wintry white. Rabbit's antics should appeal to young readers and the message of patience should appeal to their parents. Little ones will learn about the changing of seasons and the notion that spring always comes is an uplifting one. Sweet, fun book. Thank you to Jane Whittingham, Kids Can Press, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I can actually totally relate to the rabbit - this last winter felt long and gray and cold, and seeing the first green leaves felt like a reason for celebration. The rabbit’s yearning for it to be spring and warm so he can play with his friends was done well.

The metaphor was also spot on. This is a story of things happening in their own time, and even when the wait feels too long, even when you start losing hope, everything can change in a moment.

I liked this book. I liked the little rabbit, how impatient but full of hope he seemed. I loved the illustrations, the lovely, dreamy pastel colors. And the story overall. I only hope the kids will be as invested.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Only the Trees Know by Jane Whittingham in exchange for an honest review.

I love this little story with beautiful lessons on patience and listening with more than your ears. The illustrations were stunning and I will definitely recommend this one!

Thank you Netgalley and Kids Can Press for the digital copy. Opinions are my own

This book is a pretty standard children’s book. It involves a curious bunny wondering when spring is coming. What captured me most about this book was the beautiful illustrations. The imagery of the winter snow and bunny are gorgeous.

There are a lot of picture books that anthropomorphize animals that I don't like. Too silly, too jokey, to much like humans in animal clothing. But here the rabbit, even though it talks to its parents and is questioning, seems like a rabbit. And don't we humans too long for spring when winter is on us? (At least we in Canada do.) There is a nice lesson here about listening to nature that is properly part of the story. The illustrations are lovely, hushed with winter, the rabbit both realistic and adorable.

I do wonder at the decision not to depict spring at the end of the book. I like the ending but I wouldn't be surprised if many children were a little frustrated not to see the rabbit getting to enjoy the new season. No doubt this was a decision much considered, however, and I nod to the wisdom of the makers of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

A lovely and soft story of a little rabbit who is eager for spring to arrive!

The story itself is very typical of the children's genre, an impatient little rabbit who is ready for the next season, who has to wait before the seasons slowly change, but maybe the trees know when that will be? Soon enough the little rabbit's calls are heard and the trees finally answer.

I personally think the illustrations are the best part about this book. The way all of the shapes of the animals and background flow together along with the cool, winter color scheme, it gives it a "so real you could touch" sort of feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

In this stunningly beautiful book, we see a little rabbit, struggling with patience as he waits for spring to arrive. This was adorable and meaningful, I'm excited to buy this for my nephew once it's released.