Imagine a whole country living a single tree. That’s right. You heard me. A complete modern civilization comprised of inhabitants only a few centimeters high. Timothy de Fombelle based Toby Alone, a fantasy adventure on this imaginative premise. The story begins with the man hunt for Toby by the inhabitants of the tree top and gradually the reader learns about Toby’s family’s crimes against the tree and their banishment to the lower branches.

Children will delight as Toby explores the ‘tree’ world and discovers a beautiful world of lichen forests, puddle lakes, bark mountains and survives in this wild nature. In his adventures to save his captured parents, he meets a variety of interesting and sometimes scary characters who help him or block his path. 

Adults will enjoy the metaphoric message of preserving and protecting our environment.

My only frustration is that Toby Alone is part one in a two book series. It is a first step on a journey into a microscopic world. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop until you reach the end in Toby and the secrets of the Tree.