The Girl Who Loves Trees Brings Indigenous Teachings to a Forest Walk

A child’s questions about protecting trees give The Girl Who Loves Trees its gentle tension: she loves the forest, and she wants to know how people can gather what they need without harming it. Nancy Cooper’s picture book follows a visit with her grandfather on the reserve, where a walk and preparations for a community feast become an exchange of Indigenous teachings and ecological knowledge. Hawlii Pichette’s vivid illustrations bring the forest and the family’s relationship to it into view.

Learning through a shared day

The day opens with an offering of tobacco and a prayer of gratitude to the Creator. As the pair make plans, including gathering cedar for a community feast, the girl asks whether the trees might be hurt. Her grandfather’s answer frames gathering as a relationship grounded in thankfulness and responsibility. He explains that the offering acknowledges the gifts cedar provides and the connection between people and the tree.

“...will show the Tree Spirit and the Creator that we are thankful for the gifts the cedar brings us and that we recognize the sacred relationship and responsibilities we have for one another.” (pg. 13)

That exchange sets the terms for the book’s learning. The grandfather doesn’t simply supply facts for the girl to memorize; her concern and curiosity shape what they talk about. On their forest walk, he tells her about traditional uses for pine needles, birch bark, hemlock and other plants. She listens closely, asks questions and takes in family history alongside what the forest offers. The narrative connects practical knowledge with attentive observation and respect.

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

The scale is well suited to a picture book for ages 5–8: one visit, a forest trail and a child’s questions make room for ideas that could otherwise feel abstract. Gratitude, inherited knowledge and care for living things emerge through what the characters do together. The book invites young readers to notice the natural world around them and to consider the responsibilities that come with receiving its gifts.

Illustrations alive with the forest

Pichette’s art gives the book a strong visual identity. A Mushkego Cree urban mixed-blood artist whose work is deeply influenced by her culture, she uses bold colour and firm outlines in a style associated with the Woodland tradition. The trees are especially striking: both coniferous and deciduous forms feel animated, with shapes that suggest their own life as well as the life they sustain. Grass, water and the human figures share that sense of movement.

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

Pichette has also illustrated Benjamin's Thunderstorm by Melanie Florence (Kids Can Press, 2023) and Benjamin Grows a Garden by Melanie Florence (Kids Can Press, 2025). In this book, the forest imagery supports Cooper’s focus on connection: people, trees, water and other living things belong within the same web of relationships. The illustrations make that idea tangible for children, giving the setting a presence beyond the role of backdrop.

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

A story shaped by relationship

Cooper’s debut picture book, Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley and published by Owlkids in 2023, also draws on the natural world. Here, the emphasis falls more directly on traditional teachings and the bond between a grandfather and granddaughter than on character lessons. The grandfather was inspired by Albert Dumont, whose work is linked at albertdumont.com.

The result is a quiet, inviting read for children who are curious about trees, family stories and the ways people care for the places they depend on. Readers may come away with a sharper habit of noticing: a tree is not just scenery or material, but part of a relationship that asks for knowledge and respect. The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper and illustrated by Hawlii Pichette, is published by Owlkids Books. It has 32 pages, ISBN 978-1-77147-673-7, is intended for ages 5–8 and is scheduled for September 2026.