My Heart Was a Tree: Poems and Stories to Celebrate Trees

A beautifully illustrated collection of poetry and short stories celebrating trees — written by the celebrated children’s-book author Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Yuval Zommer.

This volume gathers poems and stories — all dedicated to trees and the natural world — intended to inspire readers young and old to appreciate the beauty, complexity, and emotional resonance of forests. Within its pages, an ancient olive reminisces about Odyssey-era heroes, a eucalyptus offers refuge to a koala, driftwood becomes the seat of memory, and a sapling carried by a refugee becomes a symbol of hope. The tales and verses evoke love, loss, and belonging, inviting readers to see trees not just as background scenery, but as living beings with stories of their own. Vivid, detailed illustrations by Yuval Zommer bring the natural world to life, making this book an enchanting celebration of trees and our connection to them.