The Branch by Mireille Messier illustrated by Pierre Pratt

When I visit the library where I am SO lucky to work as a volunteer, I have to constantly remind myself I will never be able to read every book and that I should just be happy when I make a new discovery. Once again today I found a treasure - this is an older book - 2016 - and so it is out of print. I really wish I had discovered this book back when it was published because it is one I would have loved to add to my school library. 

A branch falls off the tree in a wild storm. The little girl in this story loved that branch - it was a perfect place to play and explore her imaginative ideas.

"It was my castle, my spy base, my ship ..."

Other trees in the neighborhood are also damaged and people up and down the street have begun the clean-up but the little girl needs to keep her huge branch. Luckily Mr Frank from next door does understand. He offers to help. He and the little girl carry the branch to his workshop and over the following days working together they create something wonderful.

Bookseller blurb: When an ice storm snaps a small girl's favorite branch from the tree in her yard, she's crestfallen. The girl's mom says it's just a branch. But not to her! "That was the branch I sat on, jumped from, played under. It was my castle, my spy base, my ship…" Luckily, her neighbor Mr. Frank understands. He says the branch has "potential." "What's potential?" she asks. "It means it's worth keeping." And so, with imagination and spirit, and Mr. Frank's guidance and tools, the girl transforms the broken branch into something whole and new, giving it another purpose, and her another place to treasure.

In this endearing picture book, author Mireille Messier explores a young child's experience with loss and renewal. Though the little girl is heartbroken that her special perch in the tree is gone, the kindness and vision of her neighbor, combined with her own creativity and determination, help her recognize that it can have a new life in a different form. The charming intergenerational relationship adds depth and richness to the story, as it becomes clear they both offer something valuable to each other.

The idea behind this book is perhaps a simple one but this story is brim full of joy. It would be wonderful to see a grandfather and child sharing this book and then perhaps creating something together. 

Image source: Montreal Gazette (see more images from inside this book here)

Here is the book trailer. Pierre Pratt is a Canadian illustrator - you can see his books here (note many are in French). Pierre Pratt is a previous winner of the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award in 2003 and again in 2014 (finalist). Lots of his books have Kirkus Star reviews.

Awards for The Branch:

• Short-listed for the 2016 Governor General Award, Young People’s Literature Illustrated Book category.
• Short-listed for the Maine’s Readers’ Choice Chickadee Award.
• Nominee for the Surrey School’s Picture Book of the Year Award.
• Finalist for the 2018 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award.
• Finalist for the 2018-19 Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award, Shining Willow category

Brimming with personality and passion, this protagonist is a joy to know. Kirkus Star review

I previously talked about this book by Mireille Messier:

The Magic Cap

I am keen to see this book:

Trees by Verlie Hutchens illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong

"Each tree offers a story a clue a dance that makes it its very own self."

We read about the maple; aspen; oak; palm; willow; apple tree; spruce; dogwod; sycamore; white pine; birch and sequoia.

Most of the trees in this book will be unfamiliar to Australian children but that is why you should read it. The tree names are beautiful and many are sure to be encountered in other books and perhaps in real life as young readers grow older. The other reasons to find and share this book are the beautiful art used in the illustrations and the poetic text. 

The artwork is full of sensitivity and whimsy and highlights the interconnectedness of all life; this is where the book truly shines. Some spreads invite readers to turn the book lengthwise, allowing the tall trees to pierce the sky. Others, like the panorama of the palm tree, playfully dance widthwise across the page, following the breeze. In many spreads, children are dwarfed by the trees’ magnificence, admiring them, playing beneath their leaves, or even being antagonized by a windy branch. School Library Journal

There is a feeling of exuberance. Throughout the well-laid-out book, the art, a skilled merging of printmaking and digital techniques, deftly complements the text, using facts about each tree to create divergent moods—including a surprisingly foreboding mood at the end. Language is elegant and accessible, with personification as the useful, key poetic device. Kirkus

It must have been hard for the library to decide where to place this book - poetry [811] or trees [582.16] - trees is where you find this book. The CIP (cataloging in publication) put it in poetry. It's a library dilemma but either way this is a special book.

Here are three text samples:

Birch, when other trees wear lifeless black, struts in royal etmine robes.

Willow dances in her narrow kimono with elegant sweeping sleeves wafting gentle wind.

Aspen, tall and graceful, dances on her tippy toes. Her golden leaves like castanets shimmer in the breeze.

Click here to see more pages

I am a little curious as to how this book came to be in the school library where I work as a volunteer. The inscription by the Teacher-Librarian says it was a donation - I wonder who or why?  This book was published in 2019. This book is now out of print but you may find it in a public or school library - even perhaps here in Australia!

Jing Jing Tsong is a mom, musician, and surfer whose grown-up job is drawing pictures. Her technique, which layers color and texture, is influenced by her experiences working in traditional stone lithography and monoprints. She is the illustrator of Seven Samosas and the New York Times bestselling A Bucket of Blessings, both written by Kabir and Surishtha Sehgal; First Morning Sun by Aimee Reed; and Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear by Jennifer Ward; among others. Jing Jing and her husband live on an island in Washington state.

All from a Walnut by Ammi-Joan Paquette illustrated by Felicia Sala

This is a book about grief, change and patience. Grandpa tells Emilia a story of the walnut he carried on his journey across the ocean to find a new home. His parents told him he could only take a small bag but he also had a walnut in his pocket. The reasons his family left their homeland are not explained in the text but the illustration shows people in sepia tones carrying bags and children and disembarking a large ship. 

Image source: Felicita Sala

Years after their arrival Grandpa is able to finally plant his seed in a garden and now, years later, Grandpa is able to show his huge tree to Emilia and how to plant the new walnut seed.

"As time passed, Grandpa moved more and more slowly. He stayed in his armchair most of the day and sometimes he fell asleep tight in the middle of a story. ... the days grew very cold and very dark, Emilia held her grandfather close for as long as she could. Then she said goodbye."

This book caught my eye at a recent charity book sale because firstly my friend and I adore the work of illustrator Felicita Sala (we claim her as Australian even though she lives in Rome) and then I saw the dust jacket - I adore dust jackets. We rarely see them here in Australia. Then bonus this dust jacket has a fabulous case reveal - meaning there is a surprise image under the jacket. My copy is in mint condition. I wonder how it came to be donated to the fair - it has perhaps lingered on a home bookshelf since it was first published in 2022.

The warmhearted watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations are the true highlight of the book, offering lovingly rendered images of Sala’s native Italy and a poignant view of Grandpa’s aging and eventual passing. A gentle tale about maintaining a sense of continuity and rootedness in the face of life’s upheavals, this book is a worthy addition to any personal or library collection. Kirkus

“The relatively simple text includes many layers—in addition to being an immigration story, it is a family history tale and a story about the passing of a beloved grandparent and the carrying on of that person’s legacy. Paquette’s emotive writing is strong and clear.” –Hornbook

See art from this book here.  Here is the web page for the author Ammi-Joan Paquette.

Companion books:

My Baba's Garden

These Long-Loved things

The Memory Tree

The Peach King by Inga Simpson illustrated by Tannya Harricks

"It was Little Peach who found their voice. Sing! Everyone sing! We all know the song!

Together the peach trees sang until they turned the wind around ... "

Little Peach Tree is a sapling in a vast orchard. They look up to the Peach King – a majestic tree standing proudly at the hill’s crown. Through the turning of seasons Little Peach Tree and the others in the grove sprout blossoms, fruit, then leaves and finally these leaves are blown away and the trees shiver through the colder winter months. Conditions are changing, though, and the people have to bring water to their precious trees. Just as the peaches are almost ready to harvest, a bushfire springs up and so all the fruits need to be gathered early. Meanwhile the Peach King stands to protect the orchard but there is nothing he can do to stop the fire.

"The Peach King leaned into the fire, spreading his branches wide - like a shield. The heat was fierce, his leaves shrivelled and crisped ... the Peach King was alight. Flames licked along his blackened branches, up into his crown."

Harricks’ sweeping, textured artwork deepens the sense of both beauty and impending loss. At the heart of this tale is courage: the Peach King’s sacrifice to shield the orchard and Little Peach Tree’s discovery of its own strength. Arts Review

Here are some other review comments.

Themes of stewardship and resilience are evident throughout, as well as an opportunity for research into the actual natural processes of renewal for certain types of trees after a fire. The fable echoes a long history of stories about youngsters rising to heroic royal ranks, whilst being distinctly Australian in its depiction of the flora and fauna, and the scourge of bush fires. The use of the peach seems to unite these narrative elements – like a nod to European fairytales as well as Australian farming. Storylinks

Check out the details of our IBBY art auction - we have two pieces of art from The Peach King - you could own a very special illustration from this new Australian Picture book. (see bottom of this post).

In many parts of the world (including Australia) we are feeling the devastating effects of climate change. Drought, bushfires and wild storms. These conditions are especially difficult for the people who grow our food. In this book the focus is a peach orchid. It is summer in Australia from December onwards and this is when we all enjoy delicious stone fruits like peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines and cherries. The Peach King is a fable but if you share this book with a group of readers in your library aged 9+ I would begin by talking about peach trees - and make sure you stop and look at the peach-filled end papers in The Peach King. You could also talk about tree life cycles and deciduous trees.

• Peach trees typically start producing fruit within three to four years after planting, depending on various factors such as variety and care.
• Factors influencing production include the type of peach tree, climate conditions, and overall maintenance practices, such as watering and fertilization.
• Younger peach trees may yield limited fruit, while mature trees (four to twelve years old) can produce significantly higher amounts, reaching up to 65kg annually.
• Regular pruning and fertilizing are crucial for maximizing fruit quality and tree health, especially during the early years of growth.
• Peach trees have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years, providing fruitful harvests if maintained properly throughout their life.

Publisher blurb (Lothian): When Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard - the Peach King. As seasons pass, bringing cycles of change, Little Peach Tree grows and grows. But darker changes are stirring. Soon rain is scarce, the forests turn brown, animals flee and the sky turns red. To protect the orchard, the Peach King faces grave danger and Little Peach Tree must find their voice.

Here are the teachers resources. It is also important to share the end note from this book where we read that Inga Simpson lived through the terrible bushfires of 2019-2020 and she did purchase a box of Araluen peaches which she later learnt were indeed picked just ahead of the fire.

"Spring came with a rush. Sap surging, buds budding, growing in spurts. The older trees seemed sooo slow to Little Peach, whose limbs were buried in blossom, like a coat of tiny roses."

 

The teacher's notes mention this book - I am very keen to read it:

This is not exactly related but I recently read this wonderful Middle Grade novel which featured a peach tree.

The Peach Thief

Here is a video on Instagram of Tannya Harricks painting the peach tree. And you can hear a reading of this book here.

Tannya Harricks has two beautiful original art works in our IBBY Mini Masterpiece art auction which begins this week! And both are from her new book The Peach King.

I am a HUGE fan of Tannya Harricks illustrations and art. Here are some of her books I have previously explored here:

Mallee Sky

Kookaburra

Night Watch

Inga Simpson is an Australian novelist and nature writer. She began her career as a professional writer for government before gaining a PhD in creative writing. In 2011, she took part in the Queensland Writers Centre Manuscript Development Program and, as a result, Hachette Australia published her first novel, Mr Wigg, in 2013. Inga has since gained a second PhD, in English literature, which examined the history of Australian nature writing. Her most recent adult title is The Thinning (2024: Hachette Australia | June 2025: Little Brown, UK) and her previous children's title is The Book of Australian Trees, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson (2021: Lothian). The Peach Tree story is mentioned in her adult novel Mr Wigg.

Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder

"I never lost my sense of wonder for trees."

At the beginning of this book, we hear the voice of the pencil. "The picture book maker takes me out every night and dances me across a piece of paper. We rush from page to page ... " until the author runs out of ideas. Luckily the pencil has an important story of her own and the means to share it and so he begins with the words "once I was a giant."

Turn the page and we have an origin story which begins with a tiny plant reaching for the sun. We discover the young tree has shared her life journey with a tiny forest being. The tree names him The Wanderer. Seasons change, birds and insects enjoy their habitat in, below and under the tree. The tree itself grows to a majestic size. A considerable period of time passes ...  but then disaster strikes.

"Machines are coming ... they are a day away."

"Last to leave was the wanderer. He gently touched his forehead to my bark."

Stop now and look around you. How many things in your room, or house, or street are made from wood. Where did this wood come from? I often think about towering telegraph poles and how they too once were trees. Our pencil narrator was once a tree, once a giant, but now, with all the work to write his story she is just a stub. That word stub nearly broke my heart but this is not the end. 

Image source: Thames and Hudson

Trees are part of the cycle of nature. The Wanderer knows exactly what to do with that pencil stub. The final end paper will restore your hope and faith in the power of nature.

Tonight, I am attending an event at a city bookstore with Zeno Sworder. I am so excited to finally meet him! Will I be brave enough to ask a few questions such as:

• Why did you decided to dispense with the usual title page format? Was it difficult to convince your publisher Thames and Hudson that your book should break with the usual convention of picture books?
• What do the letters on your pencil mean? I have been pondering this all week especially after I saw the giant pencil from the book as part of a display in a local chain bookstore.
• Who is The Wanderer?
• Can you explain the decisions you made to compose the title? Once I was a Giant - past tense? Yet at the end there is so much hope that this giant can return.
• Your first book This small blue dot was based on your experiences in your own family with your young child. My Strange Shrinking parents focused on your own migrant family and your relationship with your own parents. This third book takes a wider focus exploring nature and our human impact on our precious world. SO where to next?

This is a book to add to your library collection, and it is one you will want to share with your reading companion or larger group. In an art class, after reading this book slowly, and pondering the deeper meanings, Once I was a Giant is also a wonderful example of highly skilled art and page design. 

You already know I am not entirely a fan of endorsements on the covers of books but the publisher has cleverly enticed the famous Shaun Tan to share his reaction to Once I was a Giant:

"A magical blend of ancient and modern storytelling, reminding us that all things are deeply connected in ways both known and unknown."

And Zana Fraillon said:

"A beautiful, wholly original story of hope and the more-than-human world. Once I was a giant is a stunning blend of language and imagery that sits in the mind long after reading. This is the work of a master picture-book creator."

My friend, who is a former Hans Christian Andersen judge, used the words enigmatic, wise, challenging, deep and breathtaking when I asked her for her reaction to Once I was a Giant. I will share the details of her review when I update this post next month. 

With older students it would be good to research Daoist beliefs that "every living thing holds an essence, a mystery; that cannot be measured or counted or sorted." This is called bianhua. And you could also research the Buddhist idea of pratityasumutpada - the belief that the "relationships that hold together the world are based on interconnection and non-separation. Life is interwoven. We breathe in because trees breathe out." Here are some outstanding teachers notes written by Zeno Sworder.

I love this quote from the teachers notes:  It is impossible not to feel a strong sense of empathy and connection with both the pencil that was once this magnificent tree and her small friend, the wanderer. The book elicits in readers a moment to pause and view the world through a different lens, one that carefully regards, respects and notices nature.

From Zeno: This is a book where the tree is the protagonist and hero. As we all tumble towards an increasingly digital, atomised and urbanised world I wanted to make a story about the natural world that touches on ideas of interdependence, metamorphosis and impermanence. Trees make all of our lives possible but they are often absent from stories because we tend to only care and feel for characters that are like us. This story aims to bring trees alive for young people by telling an imaginative story rooted in recent scientific discoveries about the social lives of trees and their abilities to communicate, learn and feel. The story covers the entire span of an individual tree’s life and the intimate relationships it shares with the forest and the creatures that it nourishes and houses.

With incredible drawings and a graphic style illustrating the natural world in all its glory, this powerful story reminds us of humanity’s connection to nature. Portraying the life of a tree from a little seed through to a giant forest elder, Once I was a Giant explores the theme of the cyclical nature of all life, with examples such as eggs in a nest hatching into hungry chicks. By the award-winning author of My Strange Shrinking Parents, this picture book is truly a work of art to pore over again and again, each time discovering new wonders. You’ll never look at a pencil in the same way again! Readings Melbourne

I have followed the career of Zeno Sworder with great interest intensified by my years as a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Picture Book of the Year judge 2021-23. In 2023 My Strange Shrinking Parents was the winner. Read my thoughts here. Kirkus said these words which could also apply to his newest book: This deceptively simple tale is laced with profound, beautifully wrought truths. I am certain Once I was a Giant will feature in the CBCA awards in 2026. 

When you share Once I was a Giant with a group of younger students you could talk about Pencil Day 30th March. Here is a post from Kinderbookswitheverything with lots of books about pencils. Of course, Once I was a Giant does have much deeper themes but I think it could be fun to focus on pencils with your lower primary groups. Again, this is way too simplistic but (spoiler alert) when the wanderer plants the tiny piece of pencil I thought of that wonderful story of imagination from decades ago - The Lollipop Tree. 

Reading Once I was a Giant I thought of these books - picture books and a novel:

Tanglewood

(Zeno suggests this in his teachers notes along with The Red Tree by Shaun Tan)

Once I was a tree 

The tree at number 43

One tree

Toby Alone

(This is a novel for older readers translated from French)

I am also very keen to see this 2025 Korean wordless book. Read the Kirkus star review.

Finally in the teachers notes Zeno Sworder references Silver People: A Tale from the Panama Canal (UQP) by Margarita Engle as a text to share with high school students. I am a huge fan of Margarita Engle (I met her at an IBBY Conference). I have shared several of her books in this blog. 

Just under the clouds by Melissa Sarno

"Then I brush my notebook off and stuff everything in, fishing around for my Tree Book. But it's not there. The worn leather, with its little ribbon tail is missing. I check the front pocket. I check the sleeve inside. I sit down on the wet ground and throw my backpack to it, opening it wide. I take all the withered papers out and stack them. I take each covered textbook and each notebook out. Purple, red, green, blue. I check the front pocket - a jumble of pens and pencils and paperclips, an eraser that feels like it's coated in sand and crumbs. I check the empty sleeve, I fan the colours, in a pinwheel, looking for the soft brown leather. Its gone."

This notebook is everything to Cora. It is her link to her father who died several years ago. Her father was Irish and mum has Mexican heritage. Cora's little sister lost oxygen to her brain during birth and so she has a fairly profound disability. Money is very tight and so the family of three keep having to move. As the story opens, they are living in a homeless shelter, but it is a very dangerous environment. After they are robbed, they move in with mum's friend. Willa seems to have a perfect life and a perfect home and so mum just needs to move again. Cora would love to stay because it is the first place in a long time that she feels safe, but they do move this time into assisted housing. Now school is even further away. 

One thing that connect Cora to her father is the drawing in his notebook of a tree he called The Heaven Tree. Cora finds the tree down by the canal. She is determined to climb it but there are no low branches. The only way seems to be through the window of a disused factory. This will be very dangerous. 

Little Adare loves cats. There is a stray cat that hangs around near the tree and near the canal. On the day Cora loses her dad's tree notebook, little Adare goes missing. Can Cora put all these puzzle pieces back together and find her little sister in time?

This is a debut novel for Melissa Sarno. Kirkus say ages 10-14 so I have listed this as a senior primary novel. Just Under the Clouds was published in 2019 but it is still available. This book will appeal to thoughtful readers who have good reading stamina and who enjoy quiet books about family relationships and children living in complex situations. 

Troubling, affecting, and ultimately uplifting, from a promising debut novelist. Kirkus

There is a delicate balance of things my readers like in a sad book. They like lots of descriptions of what life is like, but they are not as fond of the character's introspection about their situation, if that makes sense. (I spend a large part of my day involved in the nuances of what students want in a book!) This is a little slower than my students usually want, but I will probably purchase it, and this is certainly a great book to look at for most collections. Ms Yingling

Companion books - pop these titles into my sidebar:

And here are some picture books on the topic of homelessness.

This book might be in a library or available as an ebook - it also deals with the heartbreak of a disabled sister.

And this new Australian book has a World War II setting and the story centers on saving the disabled sister from capture.

Once I was a tree by Eoin McLaughlin illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

The cover of this book actually says: written by a book (with help from Eoin LcLaughlin) so right away you might guess this will be a funny book and that it is sure to 'break the fourth wall'. Then turn inside and read the dedications - "Dedicated to the book that the tree became GK" "Dedicated to the tree I used to be - The Book." Now take some time to read all the fun annotations on the imprint page. For example, the text says the paper is made from wood grown in sustainable forests and our narrator comments - "that's tree-mendous news".  Beside the illustrator name the narrator adds "his trees are 10/10". And the comment about the publisher name which is Nosy Crow is hilarious. Oh, and do look under the dust jacket but maybe do this after you read this book. Also run your fingers over the cover to feel the texture. There are so many terrific design features to explore in Once I was a tree. 

Now onto the first page:

"Once I was a tree. I wasn't just any old tree. I was a pine tree. I was tall, green and handsome. Don't believe me? Just take a look!"

The illustration shows a photo frame image of our tree as he used to be. Have you guessed what is about to happen? Well first you need to go on the journey from seed to tree via a squirrel's bottom (yes I did say bottom) and some assistance from Barbara the dung beetle. Trees are so tall, especially pine trees, that you will need to turn the book sideways to see its full size. 

Everything goes along happily until one day when someone chops the tree down. 

Oh no "I know. I was fuming."

But all is not lost. The wood is milled and turned into paper and that paper becomes a book - yes this book!

"I'm not tall, or green. But I'm still handsome. And I still smell good. Go on. Smell me!"

This book was published in 2025 (just a couple of days ago on 6th May) and the beautifully designed hardcover edition is a very good price here in Australia. Add this book to your school library and then read it to a group of your young library visitors - they are sure to be chuckling and also amazed. 

Bookseller blurb: Get ready to meet Barbara the beetle and Derek the squirrel who (through the power of poo) help a wise-cracking seed turn into a handsome tree . . . and become a wonderful book! And GUESS WHAT? It's the book that you're holding! A book to be loved, shared and cherished forever. Perfect for fans of Jon Klassen and Oliver Jeffers. Tactile jacket cover with a surprise underneath! Have fun with turn-around pages.

Guilherme Karsten was born and lives in Blumenau, southern Brazil. He studied Advertising and Graphic Design and started his illustration career in animation and fashion industry. In 2010, he illustrated his first children’s book. Since then he’s illustrated more than 30 books from Brazilian and international authors. Leading him to start writing himself and in 2017, “The Ride!”, his first book as an author & illustrator, won the honorable mention at the 2017 Serpa International Picture Book Prize (Planeta Tangerina, Portugal). Take a look at his art. 

Tate Publishing 2020

I previously talked about this book by Eoin McLaughlin:

The Case of the Missing Cake

Companion book:

The Great Paper Caper

Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien

"I think about this chain of violence that began with human greed, the desire to take and take until the trees lost their protectors and many wolves and humans lost their lives."

Red lives in a village with her mother and younger brother and sister. The village is controlled by the mayor and by the fear of attack by the wolves who live in the forest. In past years wolves attacked the village men but not the women so, while everyone lives behind a high fence, the men especially can never leave. The mayor controls everything including the distribution of food, marriage and the dispensing of punishments.

Red's father has been killed many years ago - purportedly by a wolf. Her grandmother has also disappeared and Red has not seen her for many years but as this story opens Red does meet her grandmother in the forest. People from the village are not supposed to visit the forest but Red feels a strong affinity with the trees - they even seem to reach out and touch and caress her. Then her grandmother shows her something even more surprising. Red is able to summon a small pack of wolves. They gather around her and walk in a diamond formation. There are two women who can be found in the forest - an old lady who is suspected of witchcraft called Ms Blaeberry and the woodcutter - a woman named Caragh. It is not directly stated in the story but there is an implication that Caragh has been banished to work as a woodcutter because she refused to marry the mayor. He is so jealous of Raif because he an Caragh are in love and in fact have a plan to run away. 

The changes to Red continue when she discovers not only can she summon her wolf pack but she herself can transform into a wolf. This ability coincides with the menarche. There are all sorts of rules about girls and their periods. This is considered a dark secret and even the water she uses to wash her rags can only be disposed of after dark in a secret place. Red knows she is in great danger if anyone, especially the mayor, finds out that she can transform. Added to this is the worry that her sister, Aerona, might also be able transform too and the day of Aerona's first period is approaching. 

One of the most interesting characters in this story - that I was desperate to know more about - is the wife of the mayor. His treatment of her is an example of domestic violence but Nova also gives tiny signals to Red that seem to mean she has a deeper knowledge of her oppression. 

There are some interesting life rituals and manners explored in this book such as the way people greet each other and their procedures following a death.  Girls are also expected to wear skirts - another sign of control and oppression. 

I also loved the way, as a previously explained, the trees support Red:

The woods seemed more alive after the rain, as though the very air was releasing a sigh of pleasure. But there was something else there, too, a feeling that was much harder to identify. The tree curled her twig branches over my shoulder as though she was preparing to steady me, and I covered the rough twigs with my hand to reassure her. I turned slowly, looking from tree to tree, scanning the ground, peering up into the lower branches for whatever the woods thought deserved my focus.

Beth O'Brien uses language so skillfully.  Think about her word choices in these sentences:

"The thud of the plate and cup sounded dismal in the quiet house."

"The cacophony is beautiful, the disjointed sounds creating a melodious echo."

I recommend this book for very mature readers aged 11+. Here is a list of other "Little Red Riding Hood" based books for Young Adults aged 13+. 

Publisher blurb: Red is not allowed to go into the woods. Everyone knows that they are dangerous – because of their strange magic and the wolves that lurk there… But Red finds herself increasingly drawn to the woods and the place where her grandmother disappeared without a trace three years ago. When the woodcutter fails to return home one night and wolves are spotted close to the village boundary, fear drives a deep and dangerous divide between the villagers and the nature they live alongside. Only Red seems to hold the key – but she has a secret, and exposing it could ruin her family forever …

You can read a chapter sample on the Harper Collins (Australia) webpage. This book was published in 2025 and I picked up my print copy here in Australia from a local bookseller for AUS$18.

Here are a few text quotes:

"Father was one of many men to be taken by the wolves. Where once our village had been famous for its lucrative wolf-fur trade, courtesy of our skilled hunters, soon it was associated with nothing but violent attacks. No matter how many men the mayor conscripted to try and keep the wolves at bay, our losses continued to mount up. Shortly after my father’s death, the mayor was forced to admit defeat, disband the hunters entirely and forbid all men and boys from entering the woods. This worked in so much as the attacks stopped. But the restrictions the mayor placed on our village after that meant the fear of the wolves was impossible to forget."

"I want you to imagine there’s a wolf in front of you. She has her back to you and she’s going to stay in front of you wherever you walk.’ There was a pause as she let me form that image in my mind. ‘Now, to your left and to your right are two more. They come up to your waist and if you reach out your hands, you’d be able to brush their fur, but they are no closer than that.’ Another pause. ‘Finally, there is a fourth wolf. This one is behind you, so the four of them form a diamond."

"I turned my own face up to smile at Grandmother and saw she was holding a bundle out towards me. I stood up and my wolves parted, letting me step closer to her. It was a coat. By full daylight, it would be a vivid scarlet, but under the dappled light of the trees it looked much deeper, much darker. More like blood."

"The mayor depends on us all being frightened of the woods, whether it's fear of attack or of shame."

"Nearly all the girls and women of this village know the woods aren't a bad place. They're a place where bad things happen, ... but bad things happen within our village wall, too."

Wolf Siren is a debut novel for UK author Beth O'Brien. She is the author of four adult poetry books. Having been born visually impaired and with an upper-limb difference, Beth is passionate about the representation of disability in literature and is currently studying for a PHD researching the (mis) representation of disability in fairytale retellings. She is the founder and editor of Disabled Tales.

Here is a map of Young Adult Fairy tale retellings:

Image source: Epic Reads

I think my interest in these 'grown-up' versions of fairy tales goes back to my reading a book by Donna Jo Napoli although it was not about Red Riding Hood. 

I found this collage of versions of Little Red Riding Hood on Library Thing. When you go to the link you can hover over each title for a brief plot summary.

Image Source: Library Thing tag "Little Red Riding Hood"

I have had this book, Red, on my to-read list for a long time so this might be the next "Red Riding Hood" based story that I read: