A Forest by Marc Martin (Templar Publishing)

More than ever before, children are fully aware of - and are quite active in being involved in ecological issues from a very early age. Not just "going green" but exploring the important reasons why we need to protect our planet and make better use of the resources available to us.

Marc Martin's first picture book "A Forest" stresses the importance of preserving our forests and woodlands, and the book opens with a truly gorgeous landscape spread out across the double page spread, filled with tiny and glorious trees.

As forest dwellers start to discover that trees are a fantastic natural resource, the forest is diminished - replaced at first, but later mankind's greed sees the forest disappear entirely - replaced by the smoke-belching skyline of a cityscape filled with colossal buildings.

The stark warning the book delivers, with a huge 'whump' is definitely not lost on us as we read through this gloriously illustrated hardback - with a tiny faint hope delivered by a sole survivor, a single tree...and so the cycle begins anew.

Marc's lush painted spreads in this book may be fairly minimalist, but their impact definitely isn't minimal in any way. The text is purposely kept simple, again to give this book a broad appeal from the tiniest toddlers to my 7 year old, sitting on my lap and taking in the message this book delivers so expertly.

A keeper, oh yes, definitely a keeper.

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loved getting to a certain point in the book, then tracing back to find the sole surviving tree in each page spread by its distinctive shape

Daddy's Favourite bit: A beautifully illustrated and perfectly presented first book for your tiniest eco-tots, that delivers a stark warning about the risks of abusing our natural resources.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)