The Hidden Forest

by Jeannie Baker

Jeannie Baker, incomparable creator of intricate collage illustrations, invites you to take a plunge with Ben, into the sea ... to see . See what?
Underwater forests of kelp.
Rocks with strangely beautiful textures.
A myriad of fish.
The hidden splendour of one of the Earth's last, most alluringly beautiful frontiers.
And something totally unexpected! Ben will never see things the same way again. And neither will you. Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Environment, Science, Animals, Australia

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jeannie Baker is the author-illustrator of a number of children’s picture books, including the critically celebrated Mirror and the award-winning Where the Forest Meets the Sea. Born in England, she now lives in Australia.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The copy we got from our library is huge, I would guess 40cm x 60cm which made the illustrations wonderful to look at. This could have been such a beautiful book if only it had been a wordless picture book. The text reall spoilt the book for me, it seemed ironic that a book about the appreciation and protection of the sea should start with a boy trapping fish, pulling his trap out of the water and says

'time after time only tiddlers come up in his trap, Ben empties them out in disgust to let them die. He wants something much bigger'

What a horrible thing to do, perhaps the author is using this as a talking point for not doing this? At the end of the book Ben catches some larger ocean life as he wanted but decides to let them go.

It's a pity this storyline was chosen as this is a lovely book without the text and would have been wonderful to have just followed the children snorkeling and looking at the beautiful scenes. We love snorkelling, there is such a beautiful world under the sea. Some information about the area is included at the end. It also mentions the artist used natural materials she had collected to construct the collages such as sponges, which made me wonder how responsible it was to use living things and not to encourage this sort of souvenir collecting when others are at beaches.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third picture book I’ve read by this author-illustrator. So farHome is my favorite. I love that this author uses her talents, in her books and her author’s notes at the end of them, to try to motivate readers to help the environment. Here, in this book, it’s kelp forests and (I think) other sea life. Even though maybe he’s had a change of heart by the end of the story, I was incredulous that she could pair a boy fishing with preserving the environment. So, it does seem as though Ben, the main human character, feels the creatures in the sea belong there, and I’m hoping not dead or dying in his fishing boat. But, I had the hard time warming to this story. The collage illustrations are magical though. The velvety kelp is amazingly depicted.

[Danni Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides readers with a wonder of the underwater world, which some children may not know even exists. The illustrations which Baker provides throughout the book drive the narrative. A collage fills each double page spread, with a mixture of 2D drawings including cut out images, real props and a mixture of textures. The deatiling on every page of the book is amazing and this provides a small sense of taking part in the adventure and discvery of the book. The writing in the book simply states what is happening in each of the illustrations, meaning that there is a lot which could be interpreted enabling children to widen their imagination. This book is great for the classroom, especially for being able to focus on environmental issues. I noticed that there were a lot of different ways the book could be used as a resource in the classroom.

[Kiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is interesting as, at first, seems to make people think that it will be about a forest on land. However, this story tells of the fascinating world found under the water.
It appeals to the senses through the language and pictures, combining illustrations and natural materials, used.
The text contains many literary features such as rhetorical questions, similes, metaphors, alliteration and numerous adjectives that are included to bring the text to life.
Similar to other books by Baker, there is a sense of realisation by the end as well as a clear link to protecting the natural environment.
There is a page at the back of the book containing information on kelp, one of the natural materials which was featured within the pictures. This provides a wonderful link to science as mentions how the kelp grows and offers a habitat for different plants and animals.

[Sauce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way that Jeannie Baker uses more pictures than words to tell the story, this book is useful if you don't feeling like reading much you can just sit back and look at the pictures. Her collage technique makes you want to go for a dive in the ocean. You have to look carefully at the pictures or you will miss Jeannie Baker's meaning. This book has a strong environmental message about conserving our ocean's plants and animals. Aside from the story at the end of the book there is information about Australian kelp forests.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeannie Baker does great collages - and she has challenged herself with this book. Making water look real in many artforms is really tricky - Jeannie manages an acceptable result in this book. Once the book heads underwater the task becomes considerably easier. This world is unfamiliar to many of us, and even to those familiar it is other-worldly.

[Louise Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the honesty in this book. The main character does not care about wildlife in the slightest and is not afraid to show it. He is then shown by his friend how important wildlife is, and begins to change his ways. This book shows us that we can all change our ways and make a difference to help our environment.

[Alfajirikali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy goes fishing and gets his trap caught. He asks a seasoned diver(Sophie) to help him. They find a whale, and his impression of the ocean was put into perspective. The illustrations were composed of collages--that were really impressive.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations really make this book. You could almost reach into the book and feel the kelp.

[Nicola Baptie]

Beautifully illustrated, used this book for a poetry session and a book review session. We used an iPad and airplayed it to the IWB to really zoom into the detail and prompt discussion.

[Agneza Huljev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork illustrations and colours of this one are beautiful. However, the story doesn't seem as strong as some of Baker's other works. A revised edition which is wordless might work?

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool pictures, not great story.

[Stuart Willy]

The Hidden Forest – Jeannie Baker (illustrated by Jeannie Baker)

Jeannie Baker and at least some of her books are a must for any primary classroom. Especially in light of the Government’s recent moves to eradicate the teaching of environmental issues from the curriculum. She is an English author and illustrator living in Australia and many of her books feature environmental themes. Particular favourites of mine are, Where the forest Meets the Sea and Window, each of which showing different aspects of human impact on the environment.

The Hidden Forest provides another subtle trip for its reader, this time through the wonders of an underwater world. One which many children may not have seen or even know exists. As ever with Jeannie Baker’s books, the images drive the narrative. A collage fills each double page spread, mixing 2D drawings with cut out images, real props and a mixture of textures. Each page is extremely detailed and takes some time to take in every idiosyncrasy. This gives a small sense of taking part in the adventure and discovery along with the characters in the story.

The writing is almost matter of fact, simply stating what is happening without alluding to motive or emotion. This understated style allows the artwork space to be interpreted and engaged with on its own merits. The combination of tone and artwork complement one another to elicit a range of questions and potential answers from readers.

Like Jennie Baker’s other books, The Hidden Forest quietly raises awareness of human ignorance towards nature. As a resource in the classroom it could be used in a range of ways, such as:

• An introduction to a topic on protection and respect for the environment
• An introduction to a topic based on the sea or the seaside
• Debate the positive and negative aspects of human use of the sea as a resource
• A means of introducing collage work for an art project before inviting students to create their own collages
• Using the book as the start point Investigate how text adds to a picture or overall image by first just showing the artwork without the text
• Review the impact of text when married with artwork by comparing The Window and The Hidden Forest.
• Use the book as a catalyst behind the class creating their own book in a cross curricular, creative project

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story about life in the Giant Kelp forests. The collage illustrations are marvelous and the narrative is interesting. We enjoyed looking at the pictures and pointing out all the details we could find. We've read a few books by Jeannie Baker and we are just entranced by her beautiful collages.

September 2013 update: We borrowed this book from our local library again and our youngest recognized immediately that we'd read it before. Still, my hubby is going to San Diego on a business trip and told us that he planned to go SCUBA diving in the kelp beds, so I thought it would be fun to see a little of what he is going to see.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the joy of seeing the original collages that were photographed for The Hidden Forest - in an art exhibition once - and they left a permanent mark on me. I will be forever awed by the skill and patience and detail that Jeannie Baker puts into each and every work of art that is flattened and compiled into a beautiful picture book. If anything, the artwork is even more amazing in 3D! Having seen this means that every other one of her books I've looked through is tinged by this awareness. I don't remember the story of the book though... it wasn't as striking as Where The River Meets The Sea or Rosy Dock.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly my least favourite Jeannie Baker book- and I normally love her stuff. This one didn't appeal to me so much. I think all the seaweed coloured stuff isn't quite as visually appealing as other colours. It has a strong environmental message as you would expect, and teaches respect for the underwater world.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are so cool! There were times I had to look twice to make sure they weren't normal photographs. They were innovative and beautiful, and perfect for the subject. I could spend hours with this. I read this with two little boys and they were just as fascinated with it as I was.

[Tiana.V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Jeannie Baker has done it again with her wonderful and enchanting illustrations, her wording fits wonderfully with the theme and feeling of this book. The Hidden Forest is truly a magical book.

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favourite of Jeannie Baker's books. It's not as visually striking or inventive in its collages as other works, and I'm a tree person not a sea person. Still, it has a good conservation message, as always, informed by time spent in the natural environment recreated here.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting handling of theme of fear of dark/unknown. Here set in the vastness of water, a young boy learns about life under the water line.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book by jeannie baker it is a book about a boy who wants to catch a big fish but he can only catch small ones... i loved the colages. this is one of my favorit picture books.

[Niki Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is boilerplate, but man her collages!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Jeannie Baker. Collage is visually stunning.
A great 'read to' book for teachers.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Tamara Zann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Real life, underwater, kelp forest, exploring, bravery when facing the unknown

[Ms Doxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story about a boy wanting to catch fish, but instead goes to explore them when his oar is caught. He realises he shouldn't fish

Year 3

[Emily Mcleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly devine, a beautiful story of exploration, wonder and awe. Good links for geography and science syllabus. Loved it!

[Tommo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visually this is a 5-star book. The story has a message, but it is clunky and not delivered well. I appreciate the author's notes at the end of the book.