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The Emerald Forest

Book Synopsis

One day Orangutan heard a faint noise.
Hardly a noise at all – just a distant droning. Then there was a crash!
Smoke seeped through the canopy…

Orangutan and her family live in a vast emerald forest, bursting with life. She teaches her babies what food to eat, how to swing through trees, how to build a sleeping nest. Life is good… until one day a monstrous machine tears Orangutan’s tree from the ground. The family have to leave the emerald forest – but where can they go to?

This powerful and moving picture book is set in tropical Sumatra, an island that has lost almost half its rainforest cover in recent years. The story graphically describes the reactions of an orangutan family to the destruction of their age-old home, but also shows how wildlife campaigners are bringing hope for the future.

Our Review Panel says...

‘The Emerald Forest’ is a gorgeous and moving picture book bringing to life the plight of orangutans on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The story, written by Catherine Ward, is written in prose but its language is poetic and has a lovely rhythm to it, making it perfect for reading aloud. Karin Littlewood’s illustrations are stunning, and the size of the pages and the scope of the pictures, bursting with the greenery and light of the Indonesian forest, create an immersive experience. In one illustration, it feels as if orangutan is looking right at you. Because of this, the experience of the orangutans as their habitat comes under attack is felt on an emotional level too. The plight of the orangutans is unsettling, but the message overall is one of hope, as the orangutans are rescued and rehomed in the story. The book encourages the reader to look towards a future where the forests of Sumatra might recover if people play a part in protecting them. This stunning picturebook would be invaluable for use in a class topic on the use of palm oil, or more generally in talking about the impact of human activity – for better and for worse – on the environment.

This book is available on these booklists:

The Emerald Forest

the emerald forest

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