Treeshape

'Treeshape' is a rich, autobiographical story which follows Trace from a childhood memory of sitting in a favourite tree, chronicling First Nations origins, a growing awareness of nature and the environment, protests and activism, and the importance of family and the land. Throughout the journey, trees were a constant feature and an important symbol for Trace.

The text is presented in a variety of ways from narrative to fact, graphic to text, winding and weaving lines to sections interspersed in the illustrations. Trace really takes the reader on a journey with her as they read. She captures a 'campfire storytelling' feel throughout, and the earthy colour palette of the illustrations reinforce this. There is a lot of information in the text, which leads me to recommend it for slightly older readers.