Books

Tree Thing

A highly illustrated story by an award-winning author

Piers Torday, Author

Matthew Taylor Wilson, Illustrator

Hardback

Imprint: Quercus Children's Books

Publication date: January 15, 2026

Category: Fantasy

ISBN: 9781786541482

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Gorgeously illustrated and with a classic feel, this story celebrates bravery, hope and the marvels of the natural world. When the dark rider on a horse arrives, Marlo’s bravery is the only thing standing between Tree Thing and certain destruction … An unmissable tale from award-winning Piers Torday.

Once, in a faraway land, a green thing squeezed out of the earth. The mysterious Tree Thing, which changes Marlo’s life forever.

Nothing grows in Marlo’s valley, and it’s a struggle to survive. But when his squirrel Rinti finds a glowing emerald acorn, it grows into a miraculous Tree Thing.

Tree Thing changes everything, bringing life and hope. And when the shadowy Rider arrives with an axe, Marlo needs all his bravery and ingenuity to stand between triumph and disaster.

From the acclaimed, award-winning Piers Torday comes an unforgettable fable for all ages, a brilliantly illustrated story for young and old.

Reviews

Inspired by the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall, Torday and Taylor Wilson have created a haunting short fable that speaks volumes on humanity's symbiotic relationship with nature.

Irish Examiner

Thought-provoking and powerful, Tree Thing is a story deeply rooted in the beauty of the natural world. It carries a plea for its protection and bursts with hope for change. It is quite extraordinary.

Through the Bookshelf

Piers Torday's mesmerising story leans into themes of nature, landscape and resilience, with Matthew Taylor Wilson's enchanting illustrations adding atmosphere and warmth throughout. Highly recommended.

School Reading List

An enchanting fable to teach children about the natural world. Torday is an enchanting writer. A page-turning adventure story with a foreboding message about the planet's fragility. And like all the best fables, it will appeal well beyond its target readership of nine to 12

The Telegraph

Piers Torday

Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His first book for children, The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. There May Be A Castle was a People’s Book Award finalist and a Times Children’s Book of the Year. The Lost Magician was a Book of the Year in six national newspapers and won the Teach Primary Book Award. The follow up, The Frozen Sea, was published in 2019. Piers has also completed an unfinished novel by his late father Paul (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Death of an Owl) and adapted The Box of Delights and A Christmas Carol for the stage.

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Photo credit: James Betts