An unconventional guide to thirty trees growing in the Czech landscape that come alive in illustrations—walking, dancing, making music and simply living.

Children’s and Young Adult

Three dozen deciduous and coniferous trees typical of both the Czech landscape and many others parade past the reader in this original picture album by illustrator-animator Zuzana Čupová—which is also her authorial debut. Each double-page spread playfully introduces one tree species; detailed drawings of the leaves, flowers and fruits, and primarily personified illustrations, complement the brief, informal and frequently poetic description of the species’ characteristics. Thus the trees become cheerful figures with branched treetops instead of heads, caught up in the cycle of the four seasons. The beautiful cherry tree exchanges her white spring veil for red summer earrings; Ms Linden’s head is sprinkled with little hearts; in the autumn, the rowan’s green hair hides edible jewels that will provide a feast in the long months of winter. The watercolour illustrations also wittily indicate the uses of wood: the blackthorn walks with a walking stick, the oak carries a barrel, the yew shoots from a bow— bonus details that will stick in the memory of readers big and small.

Age 7+