The Tin Forest

by Helen Ward, Wayne Anderson (Illustrator)

In the middle of a windswept wasteland full of discarded scrap metal lives a sad and lonely old man. In spite of his gloomy surroundings, he dreams every night of a lively forest full of trees, birds, and animals. When he finds a broken light fixture that looks like a flower, his imagination is sparked. He begins to build a tin forest, branch by branch, creature by creature. In time, real birds arrive, bearing seeds, and soon the artificial forest is taken over by living vines and animals until it looks just like the forest of the old man's dreams.

The rich, detailed illustrations and the lyrical text carry an important, empowering message for children and adults alike: No matter where you live or what your circumstances are, where there is imagination, there is hope.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Art, Animals, Environment

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Helen Ward won the first Walker Prize for Children’s Illustration and twice won the British National Art Library Award. She has also been short-listed for the 2003 Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Gloucestershire, England.

Reviews

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The Tin Forest tells a story of a man living on his own, dreaming of that place where plants and animals live in harmony and beauty. But all that was just a dream, as he had nothing else but trash and junk and objects he gathered as years passed.

One day, he finally started to create a forest that's made of these things and soon, a bird happened to visit his place. Such was the joy the old man felt, but also got disappointed and sad when the bird went away.

Little did he know that a surprise awaited him the next day.

The Tin Forest is a powerful book that kids and adults could learn from. It teaches us about not letting go of a dream, of seeing the beauty out of ugly things, of creating something extra-ordinary out of the normal and ordinary. It also teaches us how to love our environment, of taking caring of all living things, of recycling and reinventing. My two boys are inspired to build something out of their old toys and gadgets. Who knows? Maybe they'd be the next Alexander Graham Bells of the future?

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story, sweetly told with engrossing illustrations that are magical and yet almost ugly at times in perfect keeping with the garbage-metal world the man lives in at first. This book manages not to be overt with the environmental message—but it's certainly there, so if that sort of thing annoys you then probably this book will, too. However, I think that it's almost more about being imaginative, about having dreams and going after them—most of all, it's about making lemonade from lemons — only in this case it's about creating a beautiful forest out of ugly garbage and then seeing what wonders come as a result!

[Yasmin Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations beautifully represent the contrast between sadness and hope. The small piece of hope given to the man from the visiting bird, allowed his dreams of a real forest to grow.

[Tim Hackbarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tin Forest is a children's book with a deeper message. It is about a man who yearned for a different world than the one he had. He built a forest out of the trash around him and found joy in the process. It is a book about taking ownership for the environment. It is also a book that teaches adaptability and forethought. The pictures are very engaging and the text is simple. I would use this as part of an environmental unit or with a child that was feeling helpless about their situation. It is designed for a lower elementary reader although the deeper message would be great for upper elementary to use with a lesson on text analysis.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book because there is some really interesting vocabulary used and many hidden meanings within the text. I like how the author has taken some familiar words and put them into a different context which makes the reader question why the author has chosen to do this. I particularly like the illustrations and the concept of a light bulb being illustrated as a growing idea (like a plant) and how it grows shoots and sprouts out. The colours used are quite interesting because they start of being grey and gloomy and then at random points some bright colours are included and then it switches back to greyish shades. Overall an interesting read!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, this is such a delightful book that I almost wish I'd never given another 5 star review so this one would stand out. I love everything about this book. I love the story and how this wonderful old man brings beauty out of the ashes (aka garbage). I love the font that was chosen and how it is gray and not black, adding to the soft dignity of the book. I absolutely LOVE the illustrations, the detail and the use of color. I got this from the library but I'll be ordering my own copy tomorrow. Just lovely!!!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightfully sweet book with great life lessons. I loved the story by Helen Ward as well as the illustrations by Wayne Anderson. As a person who loves to make welded sculptures out of junk metal, this story is just close to my heart. This is a great book to teach children to dream, to be artistic and to make the best out of your situation. As they say, when life gives you too many lemons, make lemonade. I highly recommend it to parents as a way to spark many conversations!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful picture book is for anyone who has hope and believes that there is a way. Or for those who believe that our world is without hope and so why care...
When I got to the end of the book my heart felt warm and my hopes were stoked. The illustrations are fabulous. Good read for Children and adults.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dreams of this old man are powerful indeed. My two, four and six year olds were drawn in and eager to see what each new page would bring. Well written with kind and gentle verse, beautifully illustrated and wholesome.

[Davonna Juroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very magical picture book about an old man who dreams of planting a forest in a very desolate place. Beautifully told, and I highly recommend this to those who love an enchanted story filled with gorgeous artwork. Five stars.

[Aviara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would pair well with Uno's Garden and Here comes the Garbage Barge. Normally I read these books during Earth Day, however, every day should be Earth Day!

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bagaimana rasanya hidup dalam kungkungan sampah besi?
Kau bisa menanyakannya pada Sang Kakek. Sudah lama ia tinggal di antara sampah-sampah besi. Sepi dan sendiri.
Setiap hari ia bekerja memilah besi-besi tersebut sambil merindukan kehadiran hewan-hewan hutan yang pernah menemaninya. Burung rangkong, kucing, harimau...
Di tengah-tengah rasa sepi dan kerinduannya, Sang Kakek tidak mau menyerah. Pikiran dan tangannya yang kreatif menciptakan hutan dari besi. Ia percaya pada perubahan.
Sampai hadiah tak terduga berkunjung datang ke hutannya...

Kisah sederhana yang mengajakmu untuk berpikir dan bertindak lebih bijak.
Mengharukan sekaligus menginspirasi.
Didukung oleh ilustrasi semi hitam putih yang keren, buku ini tak hanya cocok dibaca anak-anak, tetapi juga orang dewasa.

Selamat membaca, ya!

[Raya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to read when you are either feeling low or wish to read something light and heartwarming 🌼

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story of imagination, hope, and the wonders one can create when he uses wisely the time and resources he's been given.

[Jaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful uplifting story.

[Ann Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the use of colour, or lack of colour and the story is easy to read and understand. A nice picture book to introduce the idea of the natural world versus the manmade world. It reads like a modern day fable.

[Ellie L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tin Forest reads like a fable, telling the story of an old man living in a desolate jungle of cast away rubbish, trying to make good of unwanted, forgotten objects. With no nature around him, the man dreams of a colourful forest alive with life, something that seemingly could not be further from the metal wasteland where he spends his days. That is, until an idea sparks, and a new type of forest begins to form.
This feels like a story that is more relevant than ever in the current crisis of never ending rubbish being discarded, and the destruction of green spaces- which, as pointed out by Ward, really are so important for wellbeing and connecting to the world. This story could lead to a lot of reflection from readers as to what is happening to our waste and how it can be used to create something beautiful. I found myself thinking a lot about the restorative power of nature, and the ease to which it can reclaim developed landscapes. Lots of lovely opportunities for children to look at abandoned homes, towns or cities that have given way to nature.

[Becci Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and so did my Year 3/4 class. It was my first experience of a narrative immersion and, as ‘Dream Givers’, we used inference and retrieval to figure out what ‘the man’ wanted and whether he deserved his ‘dream’ to be granted. The illustrations are fantastic and give lots of opportunities to ‘read the picture’ and make predictions and deductions. This book has so many opportunities for big questions such as: What happens when you achieve your dreams? Should you ever give up dreams? Who is responsible for your dreams coming true? Themes such as conservation, loneliness and perseverance are rife in this book and I was able to link it to many different curriculum areas. Additionally, The children produced sone fantastic pieces of writing too: non-cron, descriptive narrative, letters, diaries, persuasion. I also found It linked quite well to Peter Brown’s ‘The Wild Robot’ as a class reader. Overall, a super book with a lot to give! I will definitely be using it again!

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is quite simple, but the lessons contained within are quite valuable. It's important to see the potential beauty in all things and also that it is possible to make your dreams come true, if at first the solution is not quite what you expect.

The illustrations are beautiful and sure to capture the imaginations of everyone who is lucky enough to come upon this book. It would make a lovely gift that will certainly be enjoyed and remembered for years to come. I look forward to passing it along.

[Pema Brunet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and enchanting children's book that my 5 year old brought home from the school library. He was so excited to read it himself and the pictures are truly stunning. The sense of place is deep and the language thrilling to a small child. A desolate lonely wasteland it transformed into an exotic paradise from a single seed of hope when a real bird visits a bird model that an old man has made out of junk. The theme is of hope, renewal and creating something that our hearts truly desire.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did he make that tin forest? And I don't know if that little plant that we saw on the first page (or the second page) made that tin forest. Then all these animals start appearing, like tin lions and tin toucans. It's sort of like the rain forest. (And I've been to the rain forest with my Magic Friends, so I know lots about the rain forest.)

[Erin J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this little gem to my 4 children many times. It's so magical and has a good message too.

Surrounded by garbage a lonely little man learns to see the beauty is his surroundings.

The illustrations are amazing, the story is simple and easy to read. I've purchased copies for my nieces and nephews and it's in our weekly reading rotation around here.

[Lucy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful picture book that follows the journey of an old man who wished for a real forest. The story has fantastic pictures which increase in colour and animation as the story continues and as hope grows. An enjoyable, emotive and easy read which I would highly recommend.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

YR3

Nice story - old man daydreams of a forest with trees, flowers and wild animals and then proactively creates this place from tin.

"The world needs dreamers who are doers"

Would be nice to incorporate D&T and art

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wayne Anderson at his finest

The story is delightful and optimistic and is perfectly suited to Wayne Anderson's beautiful artwork. He has been my favourite illustrator for many decades.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read with environmental issues - 4*

[Rebecca Yager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical and imaginative children's story, gorgeously illustrated.

[Catherine Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story with fantastic images. Great story to read with children and fabulous to discuss and use as a writing prompt.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute picture book. Might be good for a recycling themed story time. Cute illustrations. Sweet tale.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an abstract read, would be good for KS2. Nice concept and illustrations.