February Book Review: The Hidden Life of Trees

A dazzling graphic novel that unveils little-known happenings of the forest through the eyes of a forester

The Hidden Life of Trees is an illustrated adaptation of Peter Wohlleben’s 2016 best-selling book by the same name. Through hundreds of vivid ink-and-watercolor vignettes by French artist Benjamin Flao, we get a first-person account of Peter’s lifelong quest to understand the inner workings of the forest. The book begins with stories of Peter’s childhood as a young boy in Germany who is fascinated by the natural world and attempting to grasp big environmental concepts like climate change. We then learn about his career as a forester whose work requires him to use insecticides and cut down mature trees, much to his dismay. Eventually, Peter starts a forest academy and makes it his mission to share the wonders of the woods in a way that’s accessible to the average person. Throughout the book, we’re given bite-sized chunks of ecological information with visuals that make the data tangible. I’d say this book is geared toward adults and older children ages 10+.

A video flip-through:

I saw this book on display in the science section at Parnassus Books in Nashville, and given the general lack of artistic books in the science section, it immediately caught my eye. Within the first ten minutes of flipping through, I knew this would be a great feature for the Nature Art Book Club!

As someone who is almost entirely a visual learner, it’s difficult for me to comprehend and retain scientific information unless it’s clearly laid out on the page, in a video, or through my own in-person observation. This book feels like such a gift for folks like me! It explains many phenomena that I’ve been taught before but that have never really clicked until this book. And these visuals aren’t just educational—no sirree! They are some of the most dynamic, playful ink-and-watercolor drawings I’ve ever seen. Many of them make lovely stand-alone paintings. It’s hard to fathom the stacks of watercolors that it took to make this book.

In addition to the incredible visuals, the book’s heartfelt and story-driven narrative provides context for all the new information presented to us. We see sketches of Peter and his dog exploring each environment that we learn about, making us feel like we’re right there with them.

There’s also humility to Peter’s storytelling. For many years, he played a role in forestry practices he came to question, and he talks about the cognitive dissonance that he felt during that time and how he eventually changed his career to engage with the forest in a way that better aligned with his values.

Hope you enjoyed this look at The Hidden Life of Trees! I’m open to recommendations for future book selections, so send your faves my way in the comments below. :) See you in March!

-Rosalie