She isn’t overly critical of humans, rather they are portrayed as impressive inventors who are nonetheless blind to the destruction they cause. Harrison encourages ‘noticing’ children (and adults!) to act as best they can to protect the extraordinary, ordinary world around them, before it fades away completely. The Wands (foxes) represent creativity, inspiration, and passion. They resemble a bold and adventurous spirit. We follow Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, three little creatures known as Hidden Folk, who have started to become invisible. They decide to search for an answer to what's happening to them, while also looking for other Hidden Folk, as they haven't seen any in a long time. I really appreciated how the story was written. The descriptions of the wild world, the animals met by the Hidden Folk, etc. were both very precise and true yet whimsical.

In 1855 book Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley, Sir Richard Grenville likewise swears on the three trees: We can also plan our gardens so that trees will throw their cooling shade on the house, necessitating less air conditioning. Positively soaking in flora and fauna with a host of wonderful creatures to guide the Hidden Folk on their way, Harrison presents a call to arms for the young reader to embrace the natural world whatever it looks like and wherever it may be found. There were times when I thought that the narrator trod close to 'telling' rather than 'showing' but the story, characters and sense of place were more than enough to find a balance between that sense of an invitation rather than being a guide who pointed ideologies out to the young reader.

Along their journey, they meet lots of animals and other creatures, but also notice how much change there has been in the countryside. In the 9th Century traditional folk ballad Glasgerion, the eponymous protagonist swears his innocence on the same three trees: I am listening to the audiobook which is full of lovely nature sounds and makes the story even more magical!

Simple and slow can of course be good things where there’s a nuanced philosophy or world to explore but Harrison’s feel basic. Humanity’s baleful influence is constantly bemoaned but not really dramatised: it’s not human action that destroys the protagonists’ ash-tree home or imperils Moss at the end that, or really constitutes any of the obstacles. In ancient times, when people depended on agriculture and the forests for sustenance and shelter, they knew the names of the different trees. They created relationships between trees. The Celts considered that the oak, ash and thorn made up a sacred trio with powers to heal.

There are many ancient stories about the trees that are familiar to us, like the oak, ash and thorn. However, when we talk about trees today, we talk about their beauty and value to the environment. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. In forests tree roots help rains seep into the ground where they are taken up into the tree and then release that filtered water as vapor and oxygen. Trees also cool our neighborhoods and cities because of the shade they throw and because their transpiration of water also cools the air. We can treasure parks with large trees and leafy canopies that shade us and cool us during the summer. The ancients used ash leaves to make a tea as a diuretic and as a laxative, as well as infusions to treat gout, jaundice and other ailments. However, I also will definitely be buying a physical copy to read to my children, and forsee it being a story we will revisit time and time again.

This is a lovely book exploring nature, protecting it and connecting with it, all told through an adventure by the Wild Folk- Moss, Burnet, Cumulus- who are similar to borrowers but who have protected nature from the beginning of time. But things are changing, and Cumulus and Burnet are beginning to disappear, and they set out of a quest to find more like them, to find out why. During our first winter in Heath the heavy snows blew and fell on our road, sometimes making it impassible, even for the town plows. During our first spring we began to plant our windbreak. We planted several varieties of conifers in three staggered rows alongside the road to catch the snow. This kept our road from being a giant snowbank. The town crew appreciated it. In a book that nods to classic childrens fare, such as The Little Grey Men by “B.B.” and The Borrowers by Mary Norton, this is a story filled with natural history and wonder. Harrison doesn’t so much create a world as she does show us what it really there; what has always been there, if we have eyes to see. Lovingly painted characters and landscapes expose a world of tiny beings, the overlooked environment of our day-to-day life. As the Hidden Folk consider their own continued existence in the world, they ponder the behaviour of humans; why we do the things we do, what we consider important and everything we miss or ignore in the world. They want to understand why some humans (most usually children) can see and speak to them and others seem to forget. (There is a short, wonderful scene in the beginning when a young child, Ro discovers them and can even speak the language of natures’ creatures, the Wild Argot. Really makes you wonder!) With the simplistic eco-ism, babyish emotional lessons and mild peril it feels like much younger fare than the novel-length it’s stretched to here. I have also been discovering a lot about my own beliefs through these little characters. Since becoming a parent I have been trying to nurture my inner child and access a long-forgotten part of myself that has faded away with the stress and challenges of being an adult in the modern world.This story is filled with examples of kindness, secure relationships, healthy communication (including disagreements), navigating big/scary feelings, empathy, compassion, unconditional love, as well as respect for the natural world, an interesting look at the personalities and ethos of different animals, and perspective about humanity’s impact on nature. Cumulus, Burnet und Moss sind Hidden Folk - kleine Naturgeister, die seit Jahrhunderten in einem hohlen Baumstamm inmitten eines verwilderten Gartens leben und sich um Flora und Fauna ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung kümmern. Doch als ein Frühjahrsunwetter ihr Zuhause zerstört und Cumulus beginnt, durchsichtig zu werden, müssen sich die drei unweigerlich auf eine abenteuerliche Reise aufmachen... The oak is a magnificent large tree that the ancients held in high regard. Myths consider the oak as the most worthy tree. They associated the oak with the most powerful sacred gods like Zeus and Jupiter. Thor, a Norse god, was related to lightning storms, strength and the oak. Thor even gave our modern world the name of a weekday – Thursday. But the English are strangely quiet about their deep past; disconnected, embarrassed. It’s a curious thing, for the country is full of living reminders of its mythical history and prehistory, from the green men on the lintels of old churches to maypoles and even Christmas trees. But the English have nothing to rival the Mabinogion. They have no W B Yeats or Dylan Thomas, diverting old myths through new channels. What are the foundation myths of the English? Who are their folk heroes? When they look for a mystical past, why do they turn to the Celts? Where did they come from, who built their landscape? Why are the barrows silent and where have the faeries gone? Wow. Wow. Wow. What a beautiful, profound, and hilarious story! It made me so nostalgic of my childhood, which I often spent collecting frogspawn, birdwatching and climbing trees like a feral cat…