We Are Trees – a book about being a tree among buds, leaves, and winding roots

Kristin Lidström

Trees grow slowly, but live a long time. From a small seed, it can take hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years for it to become a full-grown tree. There are many different kinds of trees. But how do you recognize them? And what happens to us when we learn their names and begin to tell the difference between them?

We Are Trees is a curious and beautifully illustrated non-fiction book. It mixes fascinating and exciting facts with stories about different trees. For example, did you know why aspen leaves tremble in the wind? That the alder sheds its leaves while they are still green? And how it is that the willow is so important in the spring?

Through the book’s stories, the different parts of the tree come to life as homes for other species. Insects, birds, fungi, and plants are all dependent on the tree’s crown, trunk and roots.

The final part of the book contains fun activities for those who want to learn even more about trees: Make a willow pipe, Tap birch sap, Collect spruce shoots and Make your own paper are some of the headings.

An inspiring and fun book to take on excursions and walks all year round!

Kristin Lidström is an illustrator and book designer educated at HDK in Gothenburg. She has been nominated for the August prize and awarded the Elsa Beskow plaque, the prize for “the best illustrated Swedish children’s book of the year”, as well as the Ottilia Adelborg prize and several awards from Svensk Bokkonst. For a few years now, she has been living in the countryside, near the village of Undenäs in Västergötland. The proximity to nature has awakened her great interest in birds. We Are Birds is Kristin Lidström’s debut as a writer.

Books by Kristin Lidström