There's a Song in the Forest

Written by Jennifer Britton

Illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Nimbus Publishing 

978-1-77471-403-4

24 pp.

Ages 3–7

September 2025 

 

If you've seen the videos of forest bathing, i.e., the Japanese practice of immersing oneself in a forest as a mindfulness exercise, then you will understand the premise of There's a Song in the Forest. But more than just being part of those forests, Nova Scotia's Jennifer Britton helps readers to experience the full breadth of music that can be heard within.

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Jennifer Britton invites us to tag along with her trio of walkers and . . .

If you listen, and quiet your mind . . .

If you block out the busy and the bustle

You'll be surprised by what you can find. 

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Everything you see in the canopy and on forest floor and hear in the leaves and twigs becomes a symphony. And who adds to that symphony? There's the geese and the wood thrush, the owls and the loons, and the rocks and the water, and they all contribute to song of the forest. They whisper and tinkle, hum and harmonize. Closer to the sea, there is the boom and crash of the drumming waves. It just takes being attentive to the "beauty of rhythm and melody" to hear the music of the forest.

 

Jennifer Britton, a teacher and musician as well as an author, speaks to the songs of nature with the language of music. (She appends her story with a list in "Musical words found in this book" including melody, percussion, and metronome.) And those with an ear for music undoubtedly have a good ear for the sounds of the natural world. But children for whom a walk in a forest is a novelty or for whom an urban landscape is the norm, There's a Song in the Forest might give them pause the next time they visit a park or a forest. Jennifer Britton encourages them to pause and listen to the quiet that really isn't as hushed as expected. When they become aware of the sounds, they will be privy to a melodic secret that is both varied and full, and giving of serenity, not unlike Jennifer Britton's rhyming text.

There's a secret that lies in the treetops

One that's hidden away, out of sight.

A symphony played under canopy leaves

Through the shadows that dapple with light. 

Her words calm while they hearten and that is what Jillian (Alisa) Thalman's illustrations do but with colour and shape and texture. Jillian Thalman uses a variety of techniques in the book's artwork including cut-paper collage, watercolours, pencil crayon and even digital means, and that undoubtedly explains the depth of her artwork. She gives us landscapes of stillness and sound, movement and restfulness. And the colours! Whether it's in the middle of a forest or alongside the ocean or sitting by a nighttime campfire, Jillian Thalman makes everything strikingly beautiful and eye-catching.

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

As someone who enjoys the practice of forest bathing and mindfulness pursuits, There's a Song in the Forest spoke deeply to me. But even for those for whom a walk in the woods is unfamiliar, Jennifer Britton and Jillian Thalman will tempt them with words and art to find the music in nature, hopefully with a visit to a natural area but, if not, by finding it wherever they can.