Little Sap by Jan Hughes illustrated by Ruth Hengeveld

Sappling: A young tree, especially one with a slender trunk.

The subtitle of this book is The magical story of a forest family.

Publisher blurb: A little tree, guided by her family circle and forest friends, can't wait to grow tall and strong Little Sap can't wait to grow tall and strong just like her mother and touch the sky. But growing takes time. Luckily for Little Sap, she has her family circle close by and a forest of friends, above and below ground, to help guide her up.

This book is difficult to classify. On the one hand the text is a narrative, a story, about a tiny tree living under the shelter of a larger tree (her mother) and the way the tiny tree aptly named Little Sap is impatient to grow up. On the other hand this is a non fiction book which touches on the biology of trees and the role of mushrooms that grow on the forest floor. You will also discover how trees use chemicals to protect themselves from insect predators.  And read more about the ways Trees follow the seasons and know when to shed their leaves and when to open their buds in spring. 

The story is composed of double-page spreads with attractive, detailed watercolor art in hues ranging from deep forest tones to subtle pastels. The lyrical, comforting text is perfect for an adult or intermediate reader to read aloud. Kirkus

The library where I found this book have placed it in non fiction (582.16) because this book is one of those newer non fiction titles that combine fine art with a non fiction text.  My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of Illustrated Non Fiction. Take a look to see other examples of this form. 

Ruth Hengeveld is from The Netherlands and Little Sap is a debut book for Jan Hughes.

Here is the Dutch edition of Little Sap:

If your older child is curious about the ways trees communicate try to find this new book:

Mikki me and the Out-of-Tune tree