Ghillie Wakes Up is the debut collaboration between tree specialist Joe Robson and illustrator Lorna Gray. This is a stunning story about how a giant redwood (Ghillie) wakes up after a hard winter to find that one of his friends is missing. Willow has fallen in a storm! Ghillie and animal friends Ember the squirrel and the badgers fear the worst. Until Willow reveals her amazing regenerative properties. So we spoke to author Joe Robson to find out more about the story behind his story …
Joe Robson is an experienced arborist. He manages amenity tree stock across five local authorities in the South West region. He has an Honours degree in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry from the University of Central Lancashire and has worked with tree surgeons across the UK. His work is wide ranging and includes organising volunteer tree planting events, carrying out tree safety inspections, managing contractors and occasionally joining in with a chainsaw and climbing kit.
“I decided to put pen to paper when I realised that these stories could help to teach children about trees and the natural world. If Ghillie’s stories one day spark an interest which brings someone to a career in arboriculture, horticulture, ecology, or a similar field I’d consider it an incredible success!”
Joe Robson
Part of Joe’s role is community engagement with schools, so Joe is particularly well placed to help children learn more about trees and their surroundings. His passion is teaching children and their families that trees and nature aren’t just things to visit or to marvel at from afar, they’re things to be part of.
I walk our dog Oscar twice a day through the fields and back roads around our small village. In the moonlight each tree looks like a character and there was one figure which sparked an idea. I began to imagine what ‘Ghillie’ the tree (who, by moonlight, looks like a soldier in a ghillie suit) might get up to when no one’s around.
Joe Robson
Ghillie Wakes Up is the first book in a series designed to reveal the hidden world of trees in an accessible format for all ages. This book is suitable for young children and reading age children, and includes a did you know section for those who are ready to learn more. One for all the family!
Disaster! When Ghillie the giant redwood tree wakes after his winter sleep, he has a fright. His best friend Willow has fallen in a storm! Can Ghillie, Ember the squirrel and the badgers put her back together again?
And what surprise of her own does Willow have in store?
Illustrations are by Lorna Gray, who specialises in books on a nature theme. Lorna has had a long career in art and illustration and she spent many years creating plans and finds drawings as an archaeological illustrator. Her combination of the hand drawn and digital is distinctive, as is her passion for accuracy and detail.
