The most recommended forest books

Who picked these books? Meet our 73 experts.

73 authors created a book list connected to forests, and here are their favorite forest books.
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What type of forest book?

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Book cover of Wolfboy

Kevin Asla Author Of Autumn's Halloween

From my list on fables with moral through the eyes of animals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I enjoy stories with morals & adventure! The animal kingdom has always been a favourite of children around the world, and a perfect way of conveying these fables without boring the reader. My particular love for foxes has always been there but also extends to other forest creatures. They are always my first choice when picking a book that kids will love and also for my video game designs.

Kevin's book list on fables with moral through the eyes of animals

Kevin Asla Why did Kevin love this book?

The black pages caught my attention immediately. Unfortunately, it is not often used for children's books, and it looks terrific with the plasticine style illustrations, making the drawings stand out. A few words tell the story of Wolfboy and his gloomy mood while being hungry and how it can make you look like a monster! Fun reading for little ones.

By Andy Harkness,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wolfboy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Wolfboy is hungry! He's drooly and growly and fussy! As he stomps through the forest looking for rabbits, he grows hungrier and growlier by the minute! What will happen if Wolfboy can't find those rabbits? And what will happen if he does? With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging, original and perfect for reading aloud, this funny and fresh picture book is a must-have for anyone who's ever been impatient for their food.


Book cover of The Dying of the Trees

Tim Palmer Author Of America's Great Forest Trails: 100 Woodland Hikes of a Lifetime

From my list on important reads about forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with forests ever since running wild as a kid in the Appalachian woods of Pennsylvania. Now living at the edge of the Pacific in the Coast Range in Oregon, I’ve engaged with a host of forest issues involving watershed health, wilderness protection, fire management, and fish. Among the 30 books I’ve written, three are germane here: Trees and Forests of America, Twilight or the Hemlocks and Beeches, and America’s Great Forest Trails. I’m always learning more by reading everything I find about forests. For my afternoon break and exercise I typically work on my own 8-acre wooded parcel where I maintain trails, eradicate exotic invaders, and restore native trees.  

Tim's book list on important reads about forests

Tim Palmer Why did Tim love this book?

Don’t be dissuaded by the severe title of this compelling and thoroughly readable book. Nor by its publishing date of 1995. Charles Little tells the story of exotic insects and pathogens that have become a pandemic crippling forests all across our country. His message—as timely now as it was then—is so moving and powerful that it inspired me to write a whole book about the plight of our cherished hemlocks and beeches. This volume was a path-breaker in its day and remains so with a message that every forest lover and forest manager needs to hear.  

By Charles E. Little,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Dying of the Trees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Examines the loss of trees from New England to California; details causes including acid rain, ozone, ultraviolet rays, and clear-cutting; and discusses responses from scientists, government officials, and citizens


Book cover of Understanding Forests

Tim Palmer Author Of America's Great Forest Trails: 100 Woodland Hikes of a Lifetime

From my list on important reads about forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with forests ever since running wild as a kid in the Appalachian woods of Pennsylvania. Now living at the edge of the Pacific in the Coast Range in Oregon, I’ve engaged with a host of forest issues involving watershed health, wilderness protection, fire management, and fish. Among the 30 books I’ve written, three are germane here: Trees and Forests of America, Twilight or the Hemlocks and Beeches, and America’s Great Forest Trails. I’m always learning more by reading everything I find about forests. For my afternoon break and exercise I typically work on my own 8-acre wooded parcel where I maintain trails, eradicate exotic invaders, and restore native trees.  

Tim's book list on important reads about forests

Tim Palmer Why did Tim love this book?

Another classic, Understanding Forests is the finest all-around narrative explaining the values of forests and the nuts and bolts of their management, their mismanagement, the bureaucracies of forestry and how they function, the needed reforms, and the political strides that must be taken, both twenty-five years ago and now. In one or two sittings a forest advocate can graduate from knowing very little to having an effective grasp of what we need to do for better care of our forests.  

By John J. Berger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding Forests as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Provides an introduction to the complex ecosystem of the North American forest and the economic, social, and political issues that are crucial to forest preservation


Book cover of The Hidden Life of Trees

Nada Orlic

From my list on deepen our understanding of the world around us.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about the selected books because they have a unique way of broadening one's horizons and inspiring change in life. Their diverse narratives and profound insights invite all of us to discover new perspectives, challenge our beliefs, and deepen our understanding of the world.

Nada's book list on deepen our understanding of the world around us

Nada Orlic Why did Nada love this book?

I enjoyed this book specifically because it illustrates trees as social creatures, talking and sharing with each other and building relationships. Peter Wohlleben really opened my eyes to the hidden underground network in forests.

The way Peter tells the story of trees' lives makes it so relatable. He tells the story of trees' unique lives in such an approachable and familiar way, describing how they "feel" pain, "taste" chemicals, and "hear" sounds.

I found the way Wohlleben animates complex scientific ideas through captivating prose most appealing. Deepening my personal relationship with nature.

By Peter Wohlleben, Jane Billinghurst (translator),

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked The Hidden Life of Trees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A paradigm-smashing chronicle of joyous entanglement that will make you acknowledge your own entanglement in the ancient and ever-new web of being."--Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben…


Book cover of The Heartbeat of Trees

Anthony D. Fredericks Author Of In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees

From Anthony's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Tree lover Environmentalist Wanderer/hiker Grandfather

Anthony's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Anthony D. Fredericks Why did Anthony love this book?

The best-selling author of The Hidden Life of Trees does it again – a masterful epiphany that clearly demonstrates our connection with the natural world.

Wohlleben draws on the latest scientific research to illustrate the profound and natural interactions humans can have in the midst of a long forest, along a puddled trail, or beside a lazuline lake.

This is extraordinary nature writing that details the language of the land, the impact of plants, and the betterment of humankind. Readers will learn how to take better advantage of their senses to absorb commanding lessons and robust teachings.

Our links with the forest have much to do with our overall well-being, personal associations, and spirit of adventure. A most positive read!

By Peter Wohlleben,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Heartbeat of Trees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER,THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES

'A simultaneously stimulating and soothing blend of nature writing and science ... Strongly encourages tree hugging for our own, human sake' Guardian Summer Reads 2021

A powerful return to the forest, where trees have heartbeats and roots are like brains that extend underground. Where the colour green calms us, and the forest sharpens our senses.

In The Heartbeat of Trees, renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of climate change, many of…


Book cover of The Forest Beneath the Mountains

Anjum Hasan Author Of The Cosmopolitans

From my list on contemporary Indian novels you have never heard of.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing fiction and writing about fiction at about the same time. My novels and stories tend to be about solitary characters pulled into the maelstrom that is contemporary Indian urban life and trying to make sense of it. I’ve always believed that to be an effective observer of your society you need to stay in tune with what your peers are doing and the last two decades in which I’ve been writing and publishing have been some of the most exciting for Indian fiction in general.  

Anjum's book list on contemporary Indian novels you have never heard of

Anjum Hasan Why did Anjum love this book?

This is a marvellous novel about an area in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas that is not far from where I grew up. It’s a story about people and nature, how the relationship is at once very elemental for those who live off the land, as well as very convoluted and destructive because it’s driven by greed, politics, and fear. The narrator is a visitor to the region, looking to solve a mystery from his past, and this device of the curious outsider looking in works really well to make the whole place come to life. 

By Ankush Saikia,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Forest Beneath the Mountains as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Description
Shaken by the news of his mother’s death, a man leaves his job in Delhi and
returns to Assam. Twenty-five years ago, his father, a forest officer here, was
found shot dead in his jeep. With the passing of his mother, the man learns new
and startling details of his father’s life, and trying to reclaim an entire life suddenly
made unfamiliar, he starts digging into events from far back in time, visiting
places where his father had served, in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas.
But the forests he had once roamed as a boy with his father…


Book cover of Magician: Apprentice

Trudie Collins Author Of The Guide

From my list on fantasy to read again and again.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a huge fan of fantasy since I was a child, starting off with high fantasy before trying out urban. The genre helps me escape from the real world for a while and fires my imagination. I write fantasy books because there is no limit on what you can do with characters and storyline. I write for pleasure and I hope others get enjoyment out of my work. I read a lot, not to get ideas, but just for the pure pleasure of reading. There is just something about the feeling of turning the pages of a printed book you can’t get anywhere else.

Trudie's book list on fantasy to read again and again

Trudie Collins Why did Trudie love this book?

This is the first book in a series that goes on and on, following the life of a couple of characters as the world changes around them. Spanning two different worlds, this first book builds up a number of characters you want to keep reading about. As the series continues through time, new threats to the two worlds introduce new characters. What I like most about this series is it keeps moving the worlds forward instead of stagnating.

By Raymond E. Feist,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Magician as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the westernmost province of the Kingdom of the Isles, upon the world of Midkemia, an orphan kitchen boy named Pug was made apprentice to the magician Kulgan.

Here starts an adventure that will span lifetimes and worlds. Discover where the story begins.

The world had changed even before I discovered the foreign ship wrecked on the shore below Crydee Castle, but it was the harbinger of the chaos and death that was coming to our door.

War had come to the Kingdom of the Isles, and in the years that followed it would scatter my friends across the world.…


Book cover of Wildwood

Edward Picton-Turbervill Author Of Talking Through Trees

From my list on to rewild the mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I did a master's in Environmental Policy, and at the end of that year, I thought, "this is all very well, but there’s no point designing these policies if no one wants them." My response to the environmental crisis is to try to open people’s eyes to the beauty and wonder of Nature. If you pay close attention, you start to develop an expansive sense of the ordinary: Creation is stranger, more mysterious, and more wonderful than we can imagine. This in turn helps us to love the world more deeply, and we tend to look after things that we love. 

Edward's book list on to rewild the mind

Edward Picton-Turbervill Why did Edward love this book?

This was the book that made me look again at trees, seeing them for the incredible organisms that they are. Deakin goes on an amazing adventure from Suffolk to Kazakhstan, Australia, and beyond, trying to get to the heart of why wood and trees have such profound meaning for us. If you like Wildwood, you could also try Waterlog, in which he wild-swims his way through the British Isles. He’s the perfect companion for the armchair adventurer, and a very genial writer.

By Roger Deakin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wildwood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here, published for the first time in the United States, is the last book by Roger Deakin, famed British nature writer and icon of the environmentalist movement. In Deakin's glorious meditation on wood, the "fifth element" -- as it exists in nature, in our culture, and in our souls -- the reader accompanies Deakin through the woods of Britain, Europe, Kazakhstan, and Australia in search of what lies behind man's profound and enduring connection with trees.

Deakin lives in forest shacks, goes "coppicing" in Suffolk, swims beneath the walnut trees of the Haut-Languedoc, and hunts bushplums with Aboriginal women in…


Book cover of A Wolf for a Spell

Juliana Brandt Author Of The Wolf of Cape Fen

From my list on fantasy to escape into when life is overwhelming.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, books have always been an incredible way to escape, most especially when life is overwhelming. I read books as an escape when I was young, and now as an author, I write books to escape as well. My favorite books to escape into always include heart pounding adventure, fantastical magic, and characters I wish I could know in real life. These are the sorts of books I write; ones that give readers the chance to exist as someone else in another place, perhaps go on a wild adventure. My hope as an author is that my books allow readers to leave their own world and their own worries behind.

Juliana's book list on fantasy to escape into when life is overwhelming

Juliana Brandt Why did Juliana love this book?

Told from multiple points of view, this book is a gorgeous romp through Russian folklore. While reading this book, I had the chance to live as a wolf, a young girl, and as Baba Yaga. I got to cast spells, experience powerful forest magic, save a princess, transform into animals, and defeat a terrible king. In real life, I could never experience any of those events, but I could while reading Karah Sutton’s incredible book. I especially appreciated that the story itself came together like a puzzle, pieces fitting neatly together in unexpected ways. This one is a surprise and delight at every turn.

By Karah Sutton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Wolf for a Spell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Girl Who Drank the Moon meets Pax in this fantastical tale of a wolf who forms an unlikely alliance with Baba Yaga to save the forest from a wicked tsar.

Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans--especially witches--but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga.

Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf's keen nose for a secret plan she's brewing . . . Before Zima knows what's happening, the witch has cast a…


Book cover of The Forest: A Tale of Old Magic

Elena Carter Author Of Follow the Hummingbird

From my list on with a perfect escape into a different reality.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have a crazy theory. I believe that the worlds and characters created by writers are much more than just a product of someone’s imagination. We all possess unlimited creative power (something that most of us take for granted). So what if I told you that all the characters, worlds, realities, and dimensions, ever created in writing or other forms of art, came to life somewhere in this endless Universe? That’s what I write about. Fascinating worlds and realms that exist out there. Lucky travelers that were granted a chance to visit those worlds. It’s what I’m most drawn to as a reader. Because it makes me one of those lucky travelers.

Elena's book list on with a perfect escape into a different reality

Elena Carter Why did Elena love this book?

Set in a small English village by an ancient forest, this book is unlike any story I have ever read. 

And after reading it, you’ll probably never look at forests the same way again. 

Masterfully written, filled with intricate immersive descriptions, The Forest takes you on a wild ride, dark and rather spooky at times. The ancient forests reveals its old tales and legends to the main characters, and we get to watch the story of an old curse unfold along with them. The curse that affected generations. The story that is full of secrets, betrayal, countless, heartbreaking moments; yet at the same time, the light of hope and faith shines through, all the way to the beautiful tear-jerking ending.

By Julia Blake,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Forest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"I met a man made of leaves with roots for hair, who looked at me with eyes that burnt like fire."

An impenetrable forest that denies entry to all but a select few. A strange and isolated village whose residents never leave. A curse that reappears every generation, leaving death and despair in its wake.

What is lurking at the heart of the Forest? When the White Hind of legend is seen, the villagers know three of its young people will be left dead, victims of a triangle of love, murder and suicide.

This time Sally, Jack and Reuben have…


Book cover of Wolfboy
Book cover of The Dying of the Trees
Book cover of Understanding Forests

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