#727 of 1001 · July 28, 2022

Imagine yourself surrounded by cold, empty wilderness, no one to brighten your life of drudgery. What would it take to change your world for the better? Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson assemble a marvelous world of magic realism and heartfelt connection to answer this very question in The Tin Forest. At the center of an enormous wasteland covered with junk and garbage lives an old man. Alone and dejected, he dreams nightly of lush greenery growing all around him. These thrilling visions inspire him to construct a scrap metal forest populated with plant and animal sculptures. One day, unexpectedly, a living thing arrives: a bird, perching on a tin tree branch. Soon, more birds come, carrying seeds, which take root and begin to sprout. Real plants and trees creep upward, attracting more and more animals. The tin forest transforms into a real one, the old man’s wonderful dream finally come true. Beginning with the striking line, “There was once a wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to forgotten,” Ward’s spare, poetic text employs powerful imagery and gentle strokes of emotion from start to finish. Anderson’s dramatic illustrations instill a strong sense of place, shifting from barren gray to glowing yellow and green as the environment slowly comes to life. #forest #woods #garbage #junk #scrap #metal #trees #plants #flowers #birds #dream #world #book #books #childrensbooks #picturebook #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks