By Benjamin Zephaniah (author) , Melissa Castrillon (illustrator)
"A beautiful, stirring love letter to nature."
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
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With its refrain of ‘Leave the trees, please’ , there’s a dreamlike quality to this picture book and a sense of passionate intensity, both perfectly captured in Melissa Castrillon’s beautiful illustrations. Benjamin Zephaniah’s text is short, conversational but urgent, exhorting us not just to protect the trees but to appreciate their majesty and the crucial role they play in all our lives.
A rich, colour-saturated palette of reds, browns and greens depicts trees in all their glory, with children and adults, birds and insects sheltered under their boughs and among their roots.
Benjamin Zephaniah died too early, but his poetry keeps his voice loud and clear, this book in particular reflecting so clearly his love of nature and belief that all living things on Earth deserve equal protection and should live in harmony.
Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and then spent some of his early years in Jamaica. He came to London when he was 22 and his first book of poetry for adults was published soon after. He appeared regularly on radio and TV including a Desert Island Discs appearance, literary festivals, and has also taken part in plays and films. He was most well-known for his performance poetry with a political edge for both children and adults and gritty teenage fiction. His collections Talking Turkey, Wicked World and Funky Chickens broke new ground in children's poetry. He is the only Rastafarian poet to be short-listed for the Chairs of Poetry for both Oxford and Cambridge University and has been listed in The Times' list of 50 greatest postwar writers.
He has sixteen honorary doctorates and the Eailing Hospital in west London has named a wing after him in recognition of his work.
Benjamin was passionate about issues that were both global and local, and his work focused on themes such as human rights and protecting the environment. He was widely considered to be among the first poets to address the climate crisis.
Benjamin died on December 7 th 2023 at the age of 65.
Photo credit Adrian Pope
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Follow a little boy's friendship and journey with one tree, in this powerful and beautiful love letter to nature. From master wordsmith, Benjamin Zephaniah, comes a breathtaking new poem and story showing how trees offer us the perspective and connection to nature we crave in our daily lives.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Leave the Trees, Please and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old
Leave the Trees, Please features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Recommendations, The Natural World, Poetry Books for Children, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Plants and trees, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals
Paperback, Hardback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Leave the Trees, Please was written by Benjamin Zephaniah and published by Magic Cat Publishing
Leave the Trees, Please has 32 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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