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The Last Tree

Book Synopsis

Once upon a time a group of friends were seeking a place to call home. The desert was too hot, the valley was too wet and the mountain was too windy.

Then they found the forest. It was perfect. The leaves gave shelter from the sun and rain, and a gentle breeze wound through the branches.

But the friends soon wanted to build shelters. The shelters became houses, then the houses got bigger. All too soon they wanted to control the environment and built a huge wooden wall around the community.

As they cut down the trees, the forest becomes thinner, until there is just one last tree standing.

It is down to the children to find a solution.

Our Review Panel says...

The Last Tree is an eco-fable for our times, with themes of nature, community and listening to the voices of the young. “Once upon a time, a group of friends were looking for a place to live” – they find a tree, then a forest and make a happy community. However, what begins as building a few cabins and a fire to warm themselves, gradually develops into an insatiable use of all the wood and the construction of a high fence to keep out the wind. Only one last tree remains. The children of each family are told to go and cut it down for their family, quickly, before the neighbours do. But here the children rebel, and we end on an uplifting note of hope for the future, as the fence is dismantled and a new forest planted…

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