Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved The Hidden Life of Trees, try Finding the Mother Tree, The Overstory, The Inner Life of Animals, The Songs of Trees, Braiding Sweetgrass and Entangled Life. Each one reveals how nature really works, in a way that will change how you walk through the woods.
Peter Wohlleben, a forester in Germany, explains how trees live as a social community. They share nutrients through root and fungal networks, warn each other of danger and care for their young. Readers love its warm tone, its surprising science and its gentle sense of wonder. Some scientists have questioned how far he pushes his comparisons to human behavior. These books share its love of forests and its fresh view of the natural world.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Subject | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding the Mother Tree | Suzanne Simard | Forests | readers who want the scientist behind these ideas |
| The Overstory | Richard Powers | Forests | readers who want a novel about trees |
| The Inner Life of Animals | Peter Wohlleben | Animals | readers who want more Wohlleben |
| The Songs of Trees | David George Haskell | Forests | readers who like lyrical nature writing |
| Braiding Sweetgrass | Robin Wall Kimmerer | Plants | readers who like personal nature writing |
| Entangled Life | Merlin Sheldrake | Fungi | readers who want to learn about the networks underground |
| Lab Girl | Hope Jahren | Plants | readers who want a scientist's memoir |
| The Botany of Desire | Michael Pollan | Plants | readers who like food and history |
| The Invention of Nature | Andrea Wulf | History | readers who like great scientists |
| Silent Spring | Rachel Carson | Environment | readers who want the classic |
| A Sand County Almanac | Aldo Leopold | Land | readers who want a classic of nature writing |
| An Immense World | Ed Yong | Animals | readers who want a big, modern science book |
| The Soul of an Octopus | Sy Montgomery | Animals | readers who love animal friendships |
| Wilding | Isabella Tree | Rewilding | readers who like hopeful stories |
| The Sixth Extinction | Elizabeth Kolbert | Environment | readers who want to understand the crisis |
1. Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
The ecologist tells how she discovered how trees communicate.
Best for: readers who want the scientist behind these ideas.
2. The Overstory by Richard Powers
Nine people are drawn into the fight to save old-growth forests.
Best for: readers who want a novel about trees.
3. The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben
Wohlleben explores what animals may feel and think.
Best for: readers who want more Wohlleben.
4. The Songs of Trees by David George Haskell
Haskell studies twelve trees and what they connect us to.
Best for: readers who like lyrical nature writing.
5. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A botanist blends science with Potawatomi knowledge of plants.
Best for: readers who like personal nature writing.
6. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
A biologist reveals the strange world of fungi.
Best for: readers who want to learn about the networks underground.
7. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
A scientist tells her life story alongside the lives of plants.
Best for: readers who want a scientist's memoir.
8. The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Pollan looks at four plants that shaped human desire.
Best for: readers who like food and history.
9. The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf
The life of Alexander von Humboldt, who shaped how we see nature.
Best for: readers who like great scientists.
10. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Carson's warning about pesticides launched the environmental movement.
Best for: readers who want the classic.
11. A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Leopold writes about the land around his Wisconsin farm.
Best for: readers who want a classic of nature writing.
12. An Immense World by Ed Yong
Yong explains how animals sense the world.
Best for: readers who want a big, modern science book.
13. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
A naturalist gets to know octopuses at an aquarium.
Best for: readers who love animal friendships.
14. Wilding by Isabella Tree
A couple turns their failing English farm into a nature reserve.
Best for: readers who like hopeful stories.
15. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
A journalist explores the mass extinction now under way.
Best for: readers who want to understand the crisis.
How to Choose
Choose Finding the Mother Tree first if you want the research behind Wohlleben's ideas, since Suzanne Simard's work on tree networks underlies much of his writing. If you want a novel instead, The Overstory is a Pulitzer winner that will change how you see the trees outside your window. To go further underground, Entangled Life is a joyful book about fungi. If you liked the warm personal voice, Braiding Sweetgrass and Lab Girl are both beloved. Wilding is the most hopeful book here, and it is great for gardeners. If you want classic environmental writing, Silent Spring and A Sand County Almanac remain essential.
Related: 15 Books Like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue You’ll Love: Immortality, Bargains and Love Across Time · Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Hidden Life of Trees about?
A German forester explains how trees communicate, share resources and care for each other.
Is The Hidden Life of Trees scientifically accurate?
It is based on real research, but some scientists think he describes trees in too human a way.
Do trees really communicate?
Research does show chemical signaling and fungal connections, though scientists debate how far this goes.
Is there an illustrated edition?
Yes. An illustrated edition and a children's book, Can You Hear the Trees Talking?, are both available.
Who is Peter Wohlleben?
He is a German forester who now runs an environmentally minded forest academy in Germany.