The Last Tree, by Emily Haworth-Booth, (March 2021, Pavilion Children’s) $16.95, ISBN: 9781843654841
Ages 4-8
Once, a group of friends looked for a place to live and decided to settle in a forest. They built shelters, which became houses, which turned into a village. With less and less trees to protect them, the winds threatened their work and homes, so they cut down all but one tree to build a wall that would protect them – but something changed when they did that. They became less friendly and free, more guarded. They wanted more wood to fence themselves in, and sent their children to cut down the last tree, but the children refused. Waterstones Children’s Book Prize nominee Emily Haworth Booth creates an environmentally conscious story with a respect and love for open, green space at its heart. Combining spreads with comic book-like panels, the story, rendered largely in shades of green and gray, is a moving look at how green spaces bring with it a freedom we cannot afford to push away.
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