Book Review: Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation by Bernard and Flao

I've just finished reading this well done graphic adaptation. It is authored by a man in Europe looking back at his youth and life path that evolved into forest management and at the same time -- advocating for primary forests over tree plantations.

In an art course earlier this year, my focus area was on tree bark. To study that focus area, I looked at many resources to learn how a tree lives, what the bark does, how deep the bark is that covers a tree trunk, and several other wonderings. I found this book as one of my resources.

Some of the fascinating tidbits in the book include:

trees are 1/3 above-ground and 2/3 underground;
trees need rest (non-light) time;
a tree will typically only produce one successor tree;
mother trees will connect their roots to their offspring to help them get started but won't do the same for a seedling that is from another tree; and,
you can sit under a walnut tree and not worry about mosquitos -- because this kind of tree has tannins that keep insects away.

The Hidden Life of Trees, authored by a conservationist, is a very good read. You'll appreciate trees much more, as a result. Besides, the art in this graphic adaptation is perfect in supporting the author's narrative!

In case you're wondering, the book is printed on responsibly-sourced paper.

Comments

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Cay Denise

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