The Secret Life of Trees

Explore the forests of the world, with Oakheart the Brave

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Pub Date Aug 18 2020 | Archive Date May 13 2020

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Description

Take in the knowledge and wisdom of a wise old oak tree as he shares with beautiful illustrations, science facts, and folk tales what he has learned in his 500 years on earth.

My arms stretch out all day long.
I can be climbed,
but I’m not a mountain.
What am I?
I am Oakheart,

the oldest tree in the forest!

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 enchanting guide to trees.

In The Secret Life of Trees, Oakheart the Brave shares his own experiences as well as what he has heard on the wind and the things whispered to him by animals over his long life, beginning with his start as a tiny acorn buried underground by a mouse. Learn all about:
  • How trees grow and survive
  • The different parts of trees, inside and out, and what they do
  • The many different types of forests and trees of the world
  • The tallest, oldest, biggest, and widest trees
  • The creatures and organisms that depend on trees
  • Why trees are so important to humans
  • Tips on how to help trees thrive
  • Tree folklore from around the world
This collection of delightful traditional 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.
Take in the knowledge and wisdom of a wise old oak tree as he shares with beautiful illustrations, science facts, and folk tales what he has learned in his 500 years on earth.

My arms stretch out all...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780711250024
PRICE $19.95 (USD)
PAGES 48

Average rating from 33 members


Featured Reviews

*The Secret Life of Trees 🌳

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Secret Life of Trees is a Children’s book filled with science facts, folklore stories, fabulous illustrations & more!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, however I believe it was a bit too complex for the ages of my children. (Ages 2-5) My oldest has always been fascinated with trees, so he did enjoy learning the facts of trees more than the folklore tales.
I would recommend this book for school aged Children who love to learn about nature, trees & science.

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What an eclectic, diverse book about trees! This book contains scientific information, poems, and tales about trees from around the world. The illustrations are beautiful and children will learn so much about the natural world. I would recommend this for kids at least 5 years old as it has a lot of information.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

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What a great book! This book is packed full of tree knowledge and stories about trees from around the world! I loved the multicultural stories and poems mixed throughout the informational text. The pictures are beautiful and would draw in any young reader.
It starts with a riddle about Oakheart, a tree in the forest, then he leads you through the facts and stories of trees. The book ends with "how to be tree-happy" a section giving advice for for future trees. It's a wonderful mix of stories with nonfiction!
I would highly recommend this for school-aged readers, anyone younger may be overwhelmed by the amount of information on some pages.
Thanks to #netgalley and #quartopublishinggroup for this copy of #secretlifeoftrees

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An inredibly cute and sweet book that is not only informative for children but adults alike. I enjoyed it a lot and hope my child will enjoy it too when she's old enough to understand English.

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This is a lovely illustrated book that teaches children about trees through stories by a narrator who's an oak tree. It gives a lot of information and would be best suited for a classroom sort of setting as a read-aloud for young children who enjoy stories and fables, perhaps in a Waldorf setting.

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This was a cute illustrated book that included some poems, some legends from various countries, and some facts about trees. It was a little long for just a picture book, but would make a great gift for any children in the 8-10 age range. The drawings were really beautiful, and the facts were easy to understand. I even learned a few things myself!

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This was so CUTE!

This picture book is narrated by Oakheart the Brave who wants you to know about trees, how they grow, what purpose they fullfill, and how their live is different depending on which season it is. Also, he tells tales the wind wispered to him or birds brought to his attention.

Accompanied is this by beautiful and detailed pictures that are fun to look at.

I was quite surprised by the amount of text in there, and I am sure i would have loved this as a toddler. Because I've always loved trees, because this book is beautifully written and illustrated, but also because it has more text than I usually find in picture books. This might be cool for someone just starting to read by themselves, or shortly before that.
Also I want to mention that this was a great way to expand my vocab, because honestly, lessons in school never included tree-specific words.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A wonderful book on the importance of trees to our environment which gently informs children of the necessity of looking after our forests and woodlands. Oakheart, the oldest tree in the forest, leads us through this beautiful guide to trees. Looking at trees throughout the sessions via combination of poems, folklore and factual information this book teaches us why trees are so necessary to our survival. Did you know trees can talk to each other. Or the oldest living thing is a tree. You know these facts and much, much more after reading this.
Perfect for children aged 7 - 11

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The whimsical illustrations in this book invite children and adults to spend time with each page, while the text weaves together folk tales from around the world with interesting facts about trees in age-appropriate language. I found the botany lessons engaging and informative-- I learned things I'd only had a vague understanding of before! But the folk tales seemed to be a cursory addition and didn't add to the book's appeal because they were presented in compressed text with smaller illustrations. The idea of combining folktales and botanical facts is great; the result fell flat, in my opinion.

I can imagine keeping this book on a classroom or bedroom shelf where preschoolers and early elementary-aged children could pull it out at will and enjoy.

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!

FOLLOW ME and see more book reviews @ mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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