Book Review of The Art & Oakie Ask Series
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The Children’s Book Review
What to Expect: Nature, friendship, creativity, environmental activism.
Did you know it takes a special kind of understanding to talk to nature? In this trio of beautiful comic style picture books, readers will meet an engaging pair of protagonists who use their creativity to communicate across language and species barriers.
The simple stories convey complex messages about resilience, acceptance, and inclusivity without the need for advanced language or plot. By relying almost exclusively on imagery to convey the story, these books are not only accessible to even beginner or weaker readers but are also a wonderful vehicle for developing readers’ creativity, offering them space to interpret and invent details for themselves.
In Do You Speak Tree?, when all of the trees around Oakie get cut down, he sets off to find help. However, none of the animals and people he meets speak Tree! Luckily, Oakie finds his way to a school, where a very special student named Art is waiting for him. Art knows how to speak Tree, and with her amazing crayon skills, she translates for Oakie. With the help of Art and her class, Oakie is able to defeat the developer responsible for cutting down his friends.
Oakie isn’t the only creature struggling to be heard. In this next adventure, Art and Oakie come to the aid of a bear who lost her home when the trees were cut down. In Do You Speak Bear?, Art and Oakie again draw on the help of their school friends to create a safe home for all the forest creatures to live in.
Finally, in Do You Speak Bee?, Art meets creatures she’s not so keen to help—a colony of bees. It takes Oakie’s help for Art to overcome her fears and help her teachers and classmates understand the vital role that bees play in the cycle of life.
The Art and Oakie series is a wonderfully interactive, fun, and challenging new way to think about reading. It serves as an excellent starting point for conversations about nature, sparking engaging and thoughtful discussions about the environment and our role in it.
Written by Josh Oaktree
Illustrated by Josiane Vlitos
Ages 4+ | 56 Pages
Publisher: Oak Tree Comics (2021) | ISBN-13: 978-1-954754-02-7
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Written by Josh Oaktree
Illustrated by Josiane Vlitos
Ages 4+ | 72 Pages
Publisher: Oak Tree Comics (2023) | ISBN-13: 978-1-954754-04-1
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Written by Josh Oaktree
Illustrated by Josiane Vlitos
Ages 4+ | 64 Pages
Publisher: Oak Tree Comics (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1-954754-07-2
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About the Author
Josh Oaktree is the founder and managing director of Oak Tree Comics, an independent children’s book publisher where imagination meets environmentalism. His books include the young reader series Art & Oakie Ask and the middle-grade books Thorn the Unicorn and The Weird Animal Hour. When not writing, Josh enjoys being out and about in nature, trail running and rock climbing. He lives in sunny California.
You can learn more about Josh and his stories on his website: https://www.joshoaktree.com/
Read our exclusive interview: A Conversation with Josh Oaktree: Where Empathy, Nature, and Storytelling Intertwine
About the Illustrator
Josiane Vlitos is an illustrator hailing from beautiful Prince Edward Island. She studied Communicated Design and worked as a graphic designer before finding her one true love, illustration. Her work is rooted in her English childhood: exploring castles, building forts and beach combing. She adores bright palettes, cheeky characters and magical worlds. In her work, she strives to spread joy and spark positive change — whether by fostering a sense of inclusion, promoting sustainability, or encouraging self-love. When she’s not illustrating, you can find her with a nose in a book, scouring beaches for treasure, or generally with her head in the clouds and a biscuit in hand. She lives in Charlottetown with her husband, daughter and rabbit.
You can follow Josiane Vlitos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josianevlitos
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of The Art and Oakie Ask Series. Learn more about getting a book review …
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