When The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope by the talented artist Luke Adam Hawker, arrived on the enchanted bookshelf, Amber and Rosa squealed with delight and appreciation of the beautiful pencil drawn illustration of an old gnarled tree on the cover. This is a book that demands to be read and everyone at the emporium are grateful to Random Things Tours’ invite to this tour and advanced copy to give their honest opinion.
Is this story as beautiful as the cover promises? Scroll down to find out more.
Book Review: The Last Tree A Seed of Hope by Luke Adam Hawker
Title: The Last Tree A Seed of Hope
Author: Luke Adam Hawker
Publisher: Ilex
Genre: Picture book for children and adults
Released date: 2nd March 2023
Blurb
Imagine a world without trees. A world that is in many ways like our world, but where magnificentcanopies, tree climbing and leaves rustling in the breeze are now only distant memories…
Until a young girl comes along, a girl who is brave and spirited and willing to follow where her imagination takes her. Through Olive’s adventures in the world of trees we are reminded of nature’s extraordinary power and beauty, and her actions ultimately sow the seeds of new life in her own world.
From the mind and pen of Luke Adam Hawker, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Together, The
Last Tree is a superbly illustrated narrative that is a powerful evocation of the fragility of our natural world and a magnificent celebration of its beauty
Thoughts from the Emporium
Like many witches, Amber is drawn to nature but particularly trees. The drawing on cover resembled her favourite tree in her garden which was her constant companion during her childhood. It was where she played, climbed, hid and read under. Even without this connection, she’d have wanted to read this book.
The exquisite illustrations of Olive’s adventure are made more outstanding because of their monochrome simplicity. They urged her to study them rather than skim past which is often the case with picture books. The accompanying words tell the sweet poignant tale of a child climbing into a picture to explore the world of trees. Again the simple adventure adds to the books beauty, tugged at the emotions and made Amber vow to do better at helping the environment and cherish those trees around her.
Rosa read The Last Tree to Alejo as a bedtime story and despite it being a far cry from his usual excessively vibrant, and high adventure books it has become one of his favourites. Olivia’s experiences drew him in, provoked chat and nature walks.
The Last Tree is a beautiful, subtle story with big message for young and old and would sit proudly on any shelf including the Enchanted Bookshelf. It would make an ideal gift too.
Author Biography
Luke Adam Hawker worked as an architectural designer before becoming a full-time artist in 2015. He sells his signed and limited-edition prints to fans throughout the UK and the rest of the world.
He has also been commissioned by brands such as the Soho House Hotel Group and has an artwork hanging in the Parliamentary Art collection.
He has over 298k very engaged Instagram followers @lukeadamhawker.
Luke’s first book, Together, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It has sold over 130,000 copies worldwide to date and has been translated into nine languages.
Luke lives with his wife, son and dog Robin in Surrey, England.
The Enchanted Emporium Bookshelf 