Trees have songs, says Haskell, and he wants to record them. Cassandra Campbell's narration is soothing and perhaps musical, a good match to Haskell's descriptive writing on the beauty of trees. He starts his global tour in the Amazonian forest of Ecuador, where he considers the environment of a sabo tree. He then discusses the spiders and monkeys that surround it, and the oil fields that threaten it. Campbell's voice stays soft but adds an edge when the subjects aren't so poetic, as when Haskell describes the bite of a bullet ant. Her edgy tone hints at the pain. As the author visits both remote and urban locations, he gives coordinates so that listeners themselves can find the trees he describes if they're in the vicinity.
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524750534
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.
Ela Lee’s smooth narration and soothing tones are perfectly suited to this collection of contemplative essays. Kōda explains that her close relationship with trees was sparked by her father. Trees were his passion, and he gave each of his children a tree to nurture. As Kōda visits forests around Japan, various trees spark memories. Even when these memories are painful, a sense of healing and growth pervades. Lee’s deliberate pace allows room for quiet reflection throughout this lyrical journey into the significance trees hold for Kōda and the ways that they mirror her world and the rhythms of human life.
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063443433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.
Three women passionate about America’s wild places helped inspire the public’s love of the natural environment and gave rise to the term “ecofeminism.” They are profiled in this triple biography along with the environments they cared about—the Grand Canyon, Colorado high mountain skiing areas, and the Adirondacks. With her easy pace, Kimberly Wetherell makes listening a pleasure. Wetherell effectively relays Hansman's lyrical descriptions of the three environments, taking listeners into powdery snow, rushing water, and deep woods. Her conversational tone suits the material but is especially effective in the opening and closing chapters, when the author speaks from a first-person perspective.
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 52 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488238031
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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