A FIELD GUIDE TO LEAFLINGS

“No one is too small to make a difference,” as the leaflings tell us.

In this guide’s delightful conceit, every tree has its tiny leafling, and every leafling has a specific role: protecting, connecting, constructing, etc. Leaflings resemble smiling seed pods with big, round eyes and small bodies, some in minute skirts. Whatever their tree roles, their job in this book is to explain how trees work, and they do it winningly. Akina and Hiroki tell us about sakura, while Iarla and Etain cover holly. Hugo takes on the kapok; several real-life critters that make their home in this giant South American tree can be found here along with information on photosynthesis. On to oak, baobab, kauri, red river gum, redwood, peepal, Huangshan pine, and sweet chestnut, each with companion leaflings and assorted animals. Among the few humans are a child who uses a wheelchair, one in hijab, and several who are brown-skinned; among leaflings, faces might be green, tan, pale, etc., while some bodies are wide, others tall. There’s information about city trees and advice on observing nature. The use of intricate serif fonts dictates lap- or independent-reading only; indeed, the delicate, detailed, page-filling watercolor and ink illustrations (like a naturalist’s notebook) are for poring over. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A whimsical way to teach budding environmentalists about trees around the world.