Award-winning author and designer Coralie Bickford-Smith follows up The Fox and the Star with a wonderful new fable celebrating belonging and the importance of understanding those around you. Poetically told, the simple text which is beautifully designed on the page to match the spirit of the words, tells of the importance of shelter and its power to encourage confidence and tolerance as well as empowering development and independence. The interdependence of the bird and the tree in this story is a beautiful telling of a universal theme.
**Nominated for the 2021 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal** 'Heart-warming ... a celebration of the world around us at a time when we need it the most' Creative Review
Bird loves to sing in the towering tree at the heart of the jungle. It feels like home. When the season changes she must say goodbye, but she isn't ready to let go.
Award-winning designer Coralie Bickford-Smith takes us on a lyrical and enchanting journey with Bird and her animal friends. Exploring vibrant woodlands and magical night-time skies, we fly with Bird through every page and learn the story of the tree and what will happen when it is time for Bird to go.
Beautifully illustrated and lovingly told, The Song of the Tree speaks to the universal search for belonging and reminds us of the importance of community, friendship and the natural world.
'Exquisite ... vivid ... each page feels alive' Observer
'Wonderful, poetic ... a beautiful telling of a universal theme' Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading
Another exquisite, clothbound tale from Coralie Bickford-Smith... [her] illustrations are so vivid and patterned, reminiscent of traditional African wax prints, that each page feels alive. The night-time stars and fireflies sparkle, though there's no glitter or foil used, while elsewhere the text swoops bird-like across the page. - Observer
My picture book of the year ... outstanding - New Statesman
I would like to frame each page - Guardian, Books of the Year
A star book for all ages ... the sort you want to keep for ever - Observer
Author
About Coralie Bickford-Smith
Coralie Bickford-Smith is a designer at Penguin Books. Her book covers have been recognised by the AIGA in the United States and D&AD in the UK, and have featured in numerous international magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, Vogue and the Guardian. Her work on the clothbound series with Penguin Classics attracted worldwide attention and harks back to the world of Victorian book bindings. She has been asked to exhibit and speak about her work in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Portugal and the US. The Fox and the Star is her first book, inspired by William Blake's Eternity and the graphic work of William Morris.
