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The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation
The graphic novel adaptation of Peter Wohlleben’s international bestseller, with breathtaking illustrations and easy-to-follow text that will delight readers young and old.
Are trees social beings? For forester Peter Wohlleben, the answer has always been yes, the forest is a social network. Trees live like human families: tree parents live together with their children, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick and struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.
This vibrantly illustrated graphic novel follows Peter as its loveable main character, revealing the secret network of the forest and sharing struggles and triumphs from his career protecting trees. Told in Peter’s warm, conversational voice, not unlike that of a beloved grandfather chatting fireside, this visually stunning book offers scientific insights and pearls of wisdom gained from Peter’s decades of observing forests, including how trees impact weather and climate, how they communicate with each other, and how they interact with fungal networks deep within the ground. It also offers poignant memories from Peter’s personal life.
Featuring 240 pages of full-color illustrations and text covering the entirety of The Hidden Life of Trees, this adaptation honors the spirit of the original book by seeking to change the way the world looks at trees, and will inspire generations of readers to celebrate the natural world and protect our last remaining forests before it’s too late.
Are trees social beings? For forester Peter Wohlleben, the answer has always been yes, the forest is a social network. Trees live like human families: tree parents live together with their children, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick and struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.
This vibrantly illustrated graphic novel follows Peter as its loveable main character, revealing the secret network of the forest and sharing struggles and triumphs from his career protecting trees. Told in Peter’s warm, conversational voice, not unlike that of a beloved grandfather chatting fireside, this visually stunning book offers scientific insights and pearls of wisdom gained from Peter’s decades of observing forests, including how trees impact weather and climate, how they communicate with each other, and how they interact with fungal networks deep within the ground. It also offers poignant memories from Peter’s personal life.
Featuring 240 pages of full-color illustrations and text covering the entirety of The Hidden Life of Trees, this adaptation honors the spirit of the original book by seeking to change the way the world looks at trees, and will inspire generations of readers to celebrate the natural world and protect our last remaining forests before it’s too late.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2023
198 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Peter Wohlleben
107 books1,916 followersPeter Wohlleben is a German forester and author who writes on ecological themes in popular language.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
January 19, 2025
6 out of 5 stars. Touching, beautiful, moving. Must read. I need to go sit in a forest now.
June 18, 2025
Buckets of interesting. I learned many tree facts and forest facts here. And I don't know how to express my extreme reticence at reading The Hidden Life of Trees; I know it's a book that's been recommended to me by many people, but it's hard to learn about nature from a book. I don't like it. I like learning about nature from nature, informational plaques, documentaries, NPR, and anything else is hard to focus on. I'll take a graphic novel but it was still a bit of a slog. Peter's personal narrative interrupted the stuff about trees: he grew up with the freedom to run around in the forest, and then he became a forester and informed himself on less destructive forest methods. Massive respect, but it's pretty obvious that anyone who was going to become the international expert on trees and their feelings was going to have that kind of background, and it's not a terribly interesting background. In the graphic novel, the memoir bits did give him the opportunity to stand at various times and look into the forest and illustrate different points. It's important, but it's all so sad to know when you've just spent a week hiking through sandy, second growth Wisconsin forest knowing that it's all been destroyed and what you're looking at is the spoils of late nineteenth century capitalism as landscape. That said, trees are fucking cool. We should respect trees. And plant diverse trees. And reintroduce beavers and bison and be sustainable and learn more about forest snacks. I liked this book, and I'm glad I was able to introduce myself to Mr. Wohlleben's ideas without reading the real book, although maybe I should try it on audio. Great illustrations. Sweeping landscapes. Very European and specifically his region of Germany- centric for obvious reasons.
July 9, 2024
Quelle belle oeuvre! On en apprend beaucoup sur les arbres, et surtout, on comprend combien ils sont importants.
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May 9, 2025My biggest dislike is that they made it into an oversized book so it's a bit difficult to hold to read. It allowed them to include large artwork for more details but also allowed them to cram a ton of stuff in. I definitely prefer the actual book over the graphic novel.
July 29, 2025
Se árvores pudessem falar, o que nos contariam? Em A Vida Secreta das Árvores – Novela Gráfica, essa pergunta ganha forma com uma sensibilidade poética e um visual de tirar o impressionante. A obra é uma adaptação lindíssima e acessível do best-seller de Peter Wohlleben, e consegue transformar ciência em magia.
Acompanhamos o próprio Wohlleben como personagem-narrador, caminhando pela floresta e partilhando descobertas fascinantes sobre a vida vegetal: árvores que se comunicam, cuidam umas das outras, sentem dor e até dormem. Tudo isso traduzido em ilustrações lindas, expressivas e cheias de vida, que tornam a leitura ainda mais envolvente.
O que mais gostei foi a forma como o livro equilibra informação científica com emoção. A linguagem é acessível, sem perder profundidade, e faz-nos olhar para a natureza com mais respeito e empatia. A floresta deixa de ser apenas um cenário e passa a ser uma comunidade viva – com dramas, conexões e memórias.
Visualmente, é uma novela gráfica espetacular. O traço é muito bonito e a paleta de cores varia conforme o tom de cada capítulo.
Leitura perfeita para todas as idades e que não vai deixar ninguém indiferente.
Acompanhamos o próprio Wohlleben como personagem-narrador, caminhando pela floresta e partilhando descobertas fascinantes sobre a vida vegetal: árvores que se comunicam, cuidam umas das outras, sentem dor e até dormem. Tudo isso traduzido em ilustrações lindas, expressivas e cheias de vida, que tornam a leitura ainda mais envolvente.
O que mais gostei foi a forma como o livro equilibra informação científica com emoção. A linguagem é acessível, sem perder profundidade, e faz-nos olhar para a natureza com mais respeito e empatia. A floresta deixa de ser apenas um cenário e passa a ser uma comunidade viva – com dramas, conexões e memórias.
Visualmente, é uma novela gráfica espetacular. O traço é muito bonito e a paleta de cores varia conforme o tom de cada capítulo.
Leitura perfeita para todas as idades e que não vai deixar ninguém indiferente.
December 30, 2024
I wanted to read this because I started listening to the band Trees Speak.
Really good! I wouldn't mind a few footnotes (fruit flies dream???)... tons of amazing facts and useful info.
Really good! I wouldn't mind a few footnotes (fruit flies dream???)... tons of amazing facts and useful info.
June 3, 2025
I saw this beautiful book sitting on a counter in a bookstore I frequent when I need inspiration. I opened it to find a gorgeous green spread depicting a forest and felt my heart fill with joy and calm. An exhalation.
Needless to say, it came home with me, and I cuddled up on the sofa, reading, while winter ended and spring emerged, letting the nerdy tree facts calm my biologist soul.
Peter has written from his heart, in a way one writes, when one doesn't expect many people to read the outcome. An honest and true story about his life, his work with forests, and his hope for our collective future.
I know the names and the peculiarities of the trees in my neighbourhood now. Which helps when I'm hugging and chatting with them. Yes, I'm one of those.
The book is mostly about flora and fauna in the temperate region. So if you're interested in other regions, this may not be the book for you.
Needless to say, it came home with me, and I cuddled up on the sofa, reading, while winter ended and spring emerged, letting the nerdy tree facts calm my biologist soul.
Peter has written from his heart, in a way one writes, when one doesn't expect many people to read the outcome. An honest and true story about his life, his work with forests, and his hope for our collective future.
I know the names and the peculiarities of the trees in my neighbourhood now. Which helps when I'm hugging and chatting with them. Yes, I'm one of those.
The book is mostly about flora and fauna in the temperate region. So if you're interested in other regions, this may not be the book for you.
July 6, 2024
Wow
Un super livre graphique qui nous fait prendre conscience de la fragilité de notre Terre.
A lire absolument
Un super livre graphique qui nous fait prendre conscience de la fragilité de notre Terre.
A lire absolument
May 1, 2025
THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES was a five-star read for me. It was one of those books that I thought of often, even when not reading, and I am eager to share it with others.
It doesn’t just answer any question you could possibly have about trees and forests—it also answers questions you’d never think to ask! From the symbiotic relationship trees have with fungi, to the ways trees nourish their “families” growing around them, expect to be wowed with each turn of the page.
I learned so much and you will too! And don't be surprised if you are eager to go on a wilderness hike and observe some of this phenomena for yourself.
I also appreciated that the author had the bravery to raise certain issues, despite the potential for controversy. Yes, large herbivores such as deer can be hard on trees. However, human hunting makes the problems worse, as the practices associated with it both encourage the animals to breed more rapidly and change their movements and feeding behavior. Since tree damage is often used as an excuse for expanding hunting, it was refreshing to see this claim debunked.
FURTHER THOUGHTS:
A page near the book’s conclusion, however, stands as an unintentional warning about seeing things as we wish they were, rather than as they are.
Wohlleben posits that the way we relate to animals has changed since he was a child, claiming that intensive farming practices are “nowhere near as widespread as they once were.” This is simply wrong. In the U.S., factory farming has grown exponentially. We are now at the point in which 99% of animals raised for food in this country are intensively farmed.
The author then claims that that “people are eating less meat than they used to, and they’re being more mindful of animal welfare with the choices they make.” This also goes against the factual data. Americans are currently eating more animals than ever before. Due in large part to the huge rise in chicken consumption, more animals than ever also live lives no sentient being should ever endure.
However, Wohlleben is German, so perhaps he is speaking from that perspective? Germany seems to be having the same problem as the U.S. in that the number of farms overall is decreasing, while the number of animals kept on industrial farms continues to grow. Some of the most extreme levels of confinement that are commonplace in the U.S. have been phased out in Europe, but there are still significant animal welfare concerns. Meanwhile, while German meat consumption has been in flux in recent years, production and slaughter is once again on the rise.
I don’t say these things to be a naysayer; simply rather to note that we cannot let our hopes get in the way of our reality. Only by acknowledging the facts can we hope to make changes.
It doesn’t just answer any question you could possibly have about trees and forests—it also answers questions you’d never think to ask! From the symbiotic relationship trees have with fungi, to the ways trees nourish their “families” growing around them, expect to be wowed with each turn of the page.
I learned so much and you will too! And don't be surprised if you are eager to go on a wilderness hike and observe some of this phenomena for yourself.
I also appreciated that the author had the bravery to raise certain issues, despite the potential for controversy. Yes, large herbivores such as deer can be hard on trees. However, human hunting makes the problems worse, as the practices associated with it both encourage the animals to breed more rapidly and change their movements and feeding behavior. Since tree damage is often used as an excuse for expanding hunting, it was refreshing to see this claim debunked.
FURTHER THOUGHTS:
A page near the book’s conclusion, however, stands as an unintentional warning about seeing things as we wish they were, rather than as they are.
Wohlleben posits that the way we relate to animals has changed since he was a child, claiming that intensive farming practices are “nowhere near as widespread as they once were.” This is simply wrong. In the U.S., factory farming has grown exponentially. We are now at the point in which 99% of animals raised for food in this country are intensively farmed.
The author then claims that that “people are eating less meat than they used to, and they’re being more mindful of animal welfare with the choices they make.” This also goes against the factual data. Americans are currently eating more animals than ever before. Due in large part to the huge rise in chicken consumption, more animals than ever also live lives no sentient being should ever endure.
However, Wohlleben is German, so perhaps he is speaking from that perspective? Germany seems to be having the same problem as the U.S. in that the number of farms overall is decreasing, while the number of animals kept on industrial farms continues to grow. Some of the most extreme levels of confinement that are commonplace in the U.S. have been phased out in Europe, but there are still significant animal welfare concerns. Meanwhile, while German meat consumption has been in flux in recent years, production and slaughter is once again on the rise.
I don’t say these things to be a naysayer; simply rather to note that we cannot let our hopes get in the way of our reality. Only by acknowledging the facts can we hope to make changes.
July 30, 2024
Ideaal voor bomenknuffelaars. A.k.a me.
January 31, 2025
Magnifique et tellement intéressant 🫶🏻🌲🌳🪵🌱Je pense le « relire » une deuxième fois juste pour prendre le temps d’observer les illustrations avec plus d’attention
July 26, 2024
C’était l’un des livres que j’avais envie de lire, mais la version complète me semblait un peu intimidante. La bande dessinée, que je ne peux pas comparer à l’œuvre originale car je ne l’ai pas lue, m’a apporté de belles connaissances.
Certains éléments étaient assez poussés, mais les illustrations aidaient vraiment à la compréhension.
Le texte est bien écrit, et on sent que l’auteur s’adresse directement au lecteur, avec un langage parlé qui rend la lecture agréable.
L’auteur partage aussi des aspects personnels de sa vie, ce qui est intéressant, même si certains moments semblaient superflus.
Dans l’ensemble, j’ai vraiment apprécié cette lecture.
***
Certaines réflexions m’ont profondément touchée, notamment le passage sur le bruit de la pluie sur les arbres, où chaque arbre émet un son distinct.
***
Pour moi, qui aime la nature, c’était particulièrement émouvant. Cela dit, ce livre n’est pas pour tout le monde, car il vise surtout l’apprentissage.
Certains éléments étaient assez poussés, mais les illustrations aidaient vraiment à la compréhension.
Le texte est bien écrit, et on sent que l’auteur s’adresse directement au lecteur, avec un langage parlé qui rend la lecture agréable.
L’auteur partage aussi des aspects personnels de sa vie, ce qui est intéressant, même si certains moments semblaient superflus.
Dans l’ensemble, j’ai vraiment apprécié cette lecture.
***
Certaines réflexions m’ont profondément touchée, notamment le passage sur le bruit de la pluie sur les arbres, où chaque arbre émet un son distinct.
***
Pour moi, qui aime la nature, c’était particulièrement émouvant. Cela dit, ce livre n’est pas pour tout le monde, car il vise surtout l’apprentissage.
May 29, 2025
4.5 STARS Part memoir and part interesting tree facts, it is clear that German environmentalist Peter Wohlleben loves trees.
I'm not a big non-fiction or graphic novel reader but this blend of the two genres was a good pick for me. Wohlleben keeps the natural science to a laymen's level for the everyday reader and the artwork by Benjamin Flao helped to clarify some of the more 'sciency' ideas for me.
A bit preachy at times (but honestly, rightful so), this book taught me a lot about trees, their impact on the environment and humans' negative impact. I learned quite a few interesting facts - like the cool relationship between trees and fungi and other interesting tidbits - that will, no doubt, pop into my head at the oddest of times.
You will finish this book marveling at what nature has given us. Wohlleben's hope is that humans will gravitate towards conservation and appreciate trees and natural forests to ensure that generations to come can enjoy and understand the importance of trees in all of our lives. Hopefully before it's too late.
August 18, 2025
Dit boek is een ontdekkingstocht en ode aan bomen/het bos en het hele ecosysteem. Niet eerder heb ik een graphic novel gelezen die zó bomvol informatie stond, dus ik heb het boek in kleine stukjes gelezen. Hoewel Wohlleben ons aan het einde meegeeft: 'het is een absolute noodzaak om zorgvuldig te werk te gaan, samen met alles wat leeft, als we geen getuige willen zijn van het einde van de mensheid', staan verwondering en onderzoek naar de werking van alle flora en fauna in het bos centraal. Bijvoorbeeld naar de rol van van mycelium en de bondgenootschappen die bomen met dit netwerk aan schimmeldraden sluiten of de rol van de specht als beschermer van een boom tegen schorskevers. Hoe cool!
Toen ik vorige week in Londen door verschillende parken liep, keek ik, door het lezen van dit boek, opeens heel anders naar de eiken, beuken en elzen om me heen. En ook als ik door Utrecht fiets vind ik de aangeplante boompjes aan de ASW opeens heel zielig. Door het lezen van dit boek kan ik bomen in elk geval niet meer zien als losstaande organismes.
Toen ik vorige week in Londen door verschillende parken liep, keek ik, door het lezen van dit boek, opeens heel anders naar de eiken, beuken en elzen om me heen. En ook als ik door Utrecht fiets vind ik de aangeplante boompjes aan de ASW opeens heel zielig. Door het lezen van dit boek kan ik bomen in elk geval niet meer zien als losstaande organismes.
June 9, 2024
Un livre magnifique, très instructif et qui m’a fait beaucoup réfléchir. J’y ai fait plusieurs parallèles entre les arbres et les humains!
November 6, 2024
Une BD que j’ai lue lentement, en la savourant pleinement. Comme un bon bourgogne.
November 28, 2024
Love the bits of memoir scattered throughout this gorgeous and mind blowing informational graphic novel. Gagged by trees at this point, honestly.
January 28, 2025
La crise climatique est réelle. Il y a une urgence d'action. Les êtres humains oublient parfois trop vite leur connexion à la nature. Sans osmose, sans vivre-ensemble, sans empathie ni prise de conscience, c'est tout un univers que nous faisons couler avec nous.
Cette BD met en image la complexité du rôle des forêts pour la vie sur Terre et encourage à la réflexion sur notre propre rôle. Face à la vie secrète des arbres, il y a de quoi redevenir humble.
Cette BD met en image la complexité du rôle des forêts pour la vie sur Terre et encourage à la réflexion sur notre propre rôle. Face à la vie secrète des arbres, il y a de quoi redevenir humble.
August 12, 2024
J’ai adoré en apprendre plus sur les arbres et l’importance des forêts… les images sont détaillées et les textes simples et compréhensibles… belle petite bd enrichissante sur l’environnement ☺️
November 9, 2025
Peter, you are a Druid, or a Beech Dryad or both. 😍my fave book ever—Germany & Her trees in Her Natural Beauty. Wonderful book.
June 15, 2025
Wat een schat aan informatie en mooie tekeningen. Een inspirerend boek dat je met andere ogen doet kijken naar de wereld om je heen. Op naar het bos!
November 23, 2025
Com este livro vem uma visão lindíssima das florestas, que, por norma, já adoro!
Sem dúvida vou ler mais livros do autor!
Sem dúvida vou ler mais livros do autor!
December 8, 2024
I had wanted to read this and was delighted when it was released as a graphic novel. The illustrations are gorgeous and help to emphasize the message about the importance of trees.
November 24, 2024
Adaptation graphique du livre, qui me tentait bien mais je pense que la lecture aurait été un peu trop laborieuse donc la BD est un bon compromis. C'est très instructif, avec beaucoup de détails et d'explications tout en restant accessible. Tip top!
April 18, 2024
Profonde déclaration d'amour aux arbres, aux forêts et plus généralement à la nature et au vivant, La Vie secrète des arbres prône une meilleure connaissance de notre environnement naturel et un lien plus étroit avec celui-ci, et se montre en plus assez optimiste sur notre avenir. Un véritable bol d'air frais en ces temps troublés !
June 19, 2025
This book is gorgeous.
I love that they took a book so serious and information laden and managed to perfectly shift it to a graphic novel. The illustrations are beautiful and the message is easily conveyed.
Everyone should take a look at this one.
I love that they took a book so serious and information laden and managed to perfectly shift it to a graphic novel. The illustrations are beautiful and the message is easily conveyed.
Everyone should take a look at this one.
October 16, 2023
C’est très beau et émouvant l’amour de cet homme pour la nature ! Je l’ai lu en plusieurs fois car ce n’est pas le genre de lecture que l’on fait d’une traite, c’est à la fois assez pointu et aussi on commence par les bases de comment fonctionne la nature. Pas vraiment ma tasse de thé habituelle mais contente d’avoir jeté un œil !
August 7, 2025
A glorious graphic adaptation that plays to that genre's strengths: namely, the art in The Hidden Life of Trees is stunning. Some of the full page designs could hang on the wall, but even the more quotidian scenes showing the author's life are gorgeous and full of life. There's a hint of Bill Watterson there that I loved.
So, the art is good, but what about the text? Also strong! There's a ton of fascinating information about trees here, almost too much to handle. I particularly loved all the ways that trees and forests are revealed to be families, using intertwined roots and mycellium networks, as well as aerosole indicators, to communicate. The book also does a great job of showing how trees move on a different timeline from humans, something we repeatedly fail to (or refuse to) grasp.
That said, much of the text is taken up with climate change whinging, which, while very real, detracts from the fascinating science stuff. Just as soon as you learn a cool fact about a tree, you learn that basically every tree in an urban environment is sad and slowly dying. And that almost all our primary forests are gone (and those are the ones that matter). The original author, Peter Wohlleben, does seem to have written The Hidden Life of Trees from something of a dark place (his work was hurting him in several ways), and I think that's obvious from the text. There's just so much sadness and despair here, it really undercuts the beauty of the forest. (There's probably some kind of "seeing the forest for the trees" metaphor here, but I'll leave that one aside)
Overall, an often stunning and eye-opening reading experience that's tempered by the author's outrage at humanity.
So, the art is good, but what about the text? Also strong! There's a ton of fascinating information about trees here, almost too much to handle. I particularly loved all the ways that trees and forests are revealed to be families, using intertwined roots and mycellium networks, as well as aerosole indicators, to communicate. The book also does a great job of showing how trees move on a different timeline from humans, something we repeatedly fail to (or refuse to) grasp.
That said, much of the text is taken up with climate change whinging, which, while very real, detracts from the fascinating science stuff. Just as soon as you learn a cool fact about a tree, you learn that basically every tree in an urban environment is sad and slowly dying. And that almost all our primary forests are gone (and those are the ones that matter). The original author, Peter Wohlleben, does seem to have written The Hidden Life of Trees from something of a dark place (his work was hurting him in several ways), and I think that's obvious from the text. There's just so much sadness and despair here, it really undercuts the beauty of the forest. (There's probably some kind of "seeing the forest for the trees" metaphor here, but I'll leave that one aside)
Overall, an often stunning and eye-opening reading experience that's tempered by the author's outrage at humanity.
January 25, 2025
Peter Wohlleben és un forestal alemany que es va enamorar de la natura des de ben petit. Però després de treballar durant anys en l’explotació de boscos, es va adonar que aquest no era el camí correcte i que calia deixar que el bosc continués el seu camí natural i, en conseqüència, evitar de totes totes qualsevol intervenció humana. Amb el temps (uns 500 anys), els boscos secundaris modificats pels humans tornaran a ser boscos primaris. Aquest és l’objectiu de Wohlleben, que aprofita per a explicar-nos totes les relacions que s’estableixen en un bosc, algunes de les quals no us imaginaríeu mai: entre les arrels dels arbres, amb els bolets, els insectes, els ocells, els microorganismes… La natura és un rellotge precís que funciona a la perfecció, i la petja humana l’ha alterat a bastament fins al punt de, en molts casos, fer-los emmalaltir. Cal tornar la natura a la seva forma primària, i aquest còmic us ensenyarà com cal fer-ho, alhora que gaudireu tot aprenent!
Puntuació: 9/10
Puntuació: 9/10
November 3, 2024
Truly fantastic, gorgeous and expressive large-format adaptation of a book that’s been on my list for ages, but might never have got around to otherwise.
If you’ve read about forestry and trees already, this won’t all be new information, and the wider environmental stuff is focused on the author’s experience in Europe. But for me, I found it linked together a lot of small things I knew and added to them. There's a biographical story that I think may be added to the original, but I think makes it particularly accessible. It’s the kind of human, witty and understandable science writing I personally really like that really conveys the wonder and passion of the writer.
The energetic ink and watercolour really adds to the expressive emotion of the writing and the feeling of wonder. Sort of want to buy this for everyone I know.
If you’ve read about forestry and trees already, this won’t all be new information, and the wider environmental stuff is focused on the author’s experience in Europe. But for me, I found it linked together a lot of small things I knew and added to them. There's a biographical story that I think may be added to the original, but I think makes it particularly accessible. It’s the kind of human, witty and understandable science writing I personally really like that really conveys the wonder and passion of the writer.
The energetic ink and watercolour really adds to the expressive emotion of the writing and the feeling of wonder. Sort of want to buy this for everyone I know.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews