The Old Oak Tree by Hilary Briar and Reid Briar, illustrated by Angela Doak

When someone dies, we feel so many emotions and have to face a very personal journey through grief. The experience of children, for whom the permanence of death is not so easily accepted or understood can provide a challenge to the adults in their lives. Picture books can provide support and help adults spark these important discussions. Hilary Briar’s The Old Oak Tree is just such a story. Based in nature and following the cycle of life and death, The Old Oak Tree serves as a gentle initiation to loss.

Picture books can provide support and help adults spark these important discussions.

The story is a poem set to music by Reid Briar, and the sheet music is included at the end of the book. With a strong refrain, repetition anchors the Oak tree within the story of a robin whose life revolves around the tree. When a storm hits and the tree is knocked down, the robin will have to face the loss of a steadfast friend, but will also come to realise that not all is lost and that spring will bring renewal.

When a storm hits and the tree is knocked down, the robin will have to face the loss of a steadfast friend, but will also come to realise that not all is lost and that spring will bring renewal.

Angela Doak’s collage-based art pairs well with Briar’s words. Colour and texture work together to depict the world of the robin and provide opportunities for readers to spy animals and plants alike. This is also a great book to observe change through the seasons. Overall, this is a wonderful book for children in pre-k to grade 2.

Hilary and Reid Briar have made a cozy home in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley with their son and a raggle-taggle crew of animal friends. Reid is an elementary school music teacher and Hilary works for the regional public library.

Angela Doak is a collage artist and photographer. All of her work is done first as collage, made up of fabric, candy and gum wrappers, misprints, junk mail, and just about anything else that fits the image she’s making at the time. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband and two children.

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing (May 9, 2024)
Hardcover 10″ x 8″ | 24 pages
ISBN: 9781774712436

Christina Barber

Christina Barber is a writer and educator who lives in Vancouver. An avid reader, she shares her passion for Canadian history and literature through her reviews on Instagram @cb_reads_reviews. She has most recently been committed to writing and staging formally innovative single and multi-act plays.