I love the story. It's not everyday we get to read stories about warthog. This story is moving, and tender. Sweet and shows the sweetness of life with friends and neighbors. The art is so adorable!

"Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer" is a heartwarming and nostalgic storybook that captures the essence of summer and the beauty of nature. Written by Dav, this children's book follows the adventures of Old Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad as they relive their youth and rediscover the joys of being young at heart.

With its beautifully illustrated pages, the book transports readers into a world of wonder and imagination, Perfect for readers of all ages, "Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer" is a delightful story that celebrates the magic of summer and the joys of friendship..

'Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer' with story and art by Dav is a graphic novel that takes us back to the animals of the forest.

It's summer and the kids want to play ball in the pond outside Mr. Owl's tree. The noise and water don't agree with him during the day and Mr. Toad agrees. But when the sun goes down, Mr. Owl feels the urge to maybe give the ball a toss in the hoop. Will Mr. Toad get angry or join in the fun?

The illustration style for this series is lush and wonderful. The stories all feature interesting twists and either great humor or poignancy (or both). I'm a fan of this writer and artist.

I love the simplicity of these stories and the way that the illustrations tell the bulk of the story. The characters have very expressive faces. This is a series appealing to children and adults alike..

A five star read. This book is both a picture book and a graphic novel. Do you remember Archimedes the owl from the animated Sword in the Stone? All that attitude but a kind heart, that’s what you get in this book. An old owl just wants to sit and read and sleep but the kids outside are driving him nuts. However, he discovers that what the kids like to do is actually fun and eventually gets in on the games and the laughter. Loved everything about this book, the artwork, the sentiment, the storyline. This is perfect for all ages.

Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer is the third in the series. Each book depicts a different seasonal activity. In this story/graphic novel, young animals are playing basketball in the pond under Mr. Owl's trees. He hears the plok, splash and yells as they get baskets and share their enthusiasm. He is not pleased with the noise and neither is Mr. Toad, who goes out and yells at them. When their ball ends up in owl's home, the kids leave the pond dejected. In the night, when Mr. Owl is wide awake, he ends up playing himself, also making Mr. Toad angry. There are some other antics which my kids loved, but you will need to read this book to see what happens. We really liked this book. It showed a simple activity in the park and reactions of the "adults" nearby. My grandkids have a "grumpy" neighbour, so they really identified with Mr. Toad and wished he would relax. The ending left us smiling. This story is written in graphic novel style that my older grandson really liked. The illustrations were very well done. The animals were whimsical and cartoonlike, but showed great expression and emotion. A book I definitely recommend.

A cantankerous owl rediscovers some of the joys of youth in this playful picture book. There's very little dialogue, but Dav's lovely, warm art tells the tale so well that words are hardly needed.

Received via NetGalley.

The sounds of summer carry through the trees in this anthropomorphic forest community. Kids play and splash all day and two local old-timers, Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad, aren't too pleased with the noise. At least, not until they find a way to enjoy themselves again.

This picture book is one in a seasonal quartet featuring a woodland community with different characters in each installment that is illustrated in a 'Disney-inspired style' that we have come to love! The woodland characters are super cute (even the grouchy ones) and the attention to detail in the backgrounds has me hoping for more from this author/illustrator.

Some of the previous installments were wordless sequential art from what I remember but 'A Fine Summer' has both dialogue and lots of onomatopoeia on nearly every page. The books in this seasonal quartet do not need to be read in order but all are lots of fun with good humor and subtle life lessons for both young and adult readers!

In the heat of summer, children gather at the small pool in the woods to play beneath Mr. Owl’s tree. Not everyone is happy about this though – Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad are annoyed by the loud laughter and noises the children are making. But one evening, Mr. Owl accidentally discovers that he might have more in common with the children than he thinks.

What a cute story! I loved the combination of an important life lesson with humor. I was also a little worried when I realized that I related more to the grumpy old owl than I wanted to. The story is told in a way that is relatable to older readers and may also give children an insight into grumpy older neighbors.

The illustrations are gorgeous. I love the artist’s style and how accurately the animal’s attitudes were captured (especially the grumpy faces). The colors used are lovely and create a magical world for these characters. The art would still be quite fun for children but is equally suited for adult readers. I also enjoyed how it was set up more like a comic book but is still accessible for younger readers.

I absolutely recommend this work for people with children in their lives!

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Poor Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad just want some peace and quiet. Three adorable mice just want to play in the water and shoot hoops. How they all come together makes this a lovely read for littles and adults alike. Dav's books are like a breath of fresh air and I cannot wait for more. This has been so much fun reading all the seasons with this fun forest animals and the illustrations are both nostalgic and gorgeous. So well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dav, and Magnetic Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars
This is the third book in the series, and having read the previous two, I knew I had to grab this one. Set in summer, the illustrations are warm and even humid at times. Yeah, you can feel the season on the pages.
There are very few dialogues in this one. The story is narrated in sounds, expressions, actions, and a couple of dialogues. We have two grumpy old men (an owl and a toad) in this book. The kiddo animals (fox cubs and foxes) are playing water basketball (if that’s even a game), and the noise they make annoys the grumpy men. How Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad learn to relax and have fun is the crux of the story.
The story arc is heartwarming and sweet. I love the ending and am looking forward to the next in the series. The illustrations are lively, cute, and grumpy at the same time. Grab this book to enjoy the playful story and illustrations.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Magnetic Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A curmudgeonly owl remembers what it's like to be a kid again in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel for the kiddos. This is another delightful seasonal tale peopled by the woodland creatures who inhabit this wonderful artist's mind. A laugh-out-loud joy to read!

It's always a pleasure to discover a gifted illustrator I've never heard of before.
And that's absolutely the case with Dav (real name: David Augereau; ° 1979), a French scenarist and illustrator!

The cover already caught my attention. But diving further into this book, took me way back to my childhood memories of Disney, the Fievel-movie (directed by Don Bluth) , ...
And it's no wonder that these came to mind, as they seem to form a real inspiration source for Dav. Just take a look at his sketchbook from 2016 to 2018 and you'll know what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOhPlUoYsOQ

'Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer' forms the third part in a four-book series.
Each standalone story takes place in the same forest, but during a different season of the year.
In this book grumpy old Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad don't appreciate the noise and laughter of the playing children in the pond under the summer sun. Will they find their inner child again?

Actually, this book holds the middle between a picture book and a comic book.
There's not much text and most passages are even wordless, which makes it a very accessible book for young readers.
But in fact, the pictures and the story will delight a very broad public and thus is perfect for all ages.

You can take a sneak peek at the French version of this book here: http://editionsdelagouttiere.com/livre/sous-les-arbres-un-chouette-ete/ (just click on 'lire un extrait)
For those who master the French language, there's an interview with Dav here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NShVCXnMmFE (I haven't listened to all of it yet, but it seems interesting though; if possible, I'll edit this review later on and add some of the mentioned info)
Finally, to see how Dav transforms a white page into a beautiful work of art, I can totally recommend this 4 minute movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IktBDuwaCkg !

*Thanks to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Diamond Book Distributors for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The art style of this book reminds me of the Disney animated Robin Hood. And I LOVE that movie.

More of a comic book than strictly a picture book, Dav has given us SO MANY full-coverage illustrations. The amount of work put into this piece is really gratifying. The characters are never static, illustrated from so many different viewpoints, with a huge range of facial expressions and motion. The entire thing feels like it's just a few in-between frames away from being fully animated.

The story is simple and cute: an old owl has his reading disturbed by neighborhood kids playing in a pool. But one off-hand try at their game gets him hooked, and soon he's joining along in the fun.

There's very little text in this book, so it is a great pick for new readers!

Advanced copy provided by the publisher.

You know you’re in desperate need for some childlike fun when you identify with a couple of grumpy old men more than you do some rambunctious younguns.

Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad just want some peace and quiet. Mr. Toad appears to be a bit of a crankypants (crankyoveralls?), upset the neighbourhood kids are making a ruckus this summer. Mr. Owl isn’t having a hoot either.

At least he has a very relatable reason for needing some quiet time, though. He’s in the middle of a particularly engaging book.

Maybe it’s time for these oldtimers to reclaim some of the joy and innocence of childhood.

This is such a cute series, combining life lessons with humour. There’s minimal text and the illustrations clearly tell the stories. All of the animals are expressive and I love the colour palette.

Given the first two books in this series were autumn and winter, it would have made more sense to me for the final two books to be released in season order. While the stories are all set in the same world, they can be read in any order.

I’m looking forward to spring.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this picture book.

I ADORED IT.
Dav is a guarantee every time; the story is sweet and nice (especially if you are in contact with your inner child and if at the same time you have the soul of a grumpy old man) and the drawings are spectacular. There is only one big flaw ... the stories are too short !!

The cover art drew me to this book. It was giving me Winnie the Pooh vibes. This book is about a grumpy old owl who gets annoyed with kids having fun and being loud in the water hole outside his treehouse. (Honestly, I can relate to this owl). Then the owl discovers the joy of play again that we all lose when we start to adult. It's a very quick read. Short and sparse words. The reader is meant to read the graphics more than the words. A fun experience.

*ARC provided by Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, & NetGalley.

This book has such beautiful illustrations. It’s simple wording is easy for young readers to read while the illustrations provide a rich story. This book is a great book for young readers.

I adore this and I wish for more pages. This children book is an easy 5 stars for me.
First of all the illustrations is very adorable, the art remind me with classic Disney movies. Then perfect choice for font text from size to lay out make the reading process so enjoyable for eyes.
Last but not less important is the theme and plot. The story only fragments, short enough but interesting to follow. The conflict and the solution real and heartwarming message about courage to open mind.

Thank you Netgalley and Magnetic Press for provided me with this copy, such a lovely treasure.

This book is made up of highly detailed comic or graphic novel illustrations with small text boxes and expressive font. The story is mainly told by the images rather than the text, making it accessible for readers of all ages as there is very little text that needs to be decoded and the story can be told by looking at the pictures. Many children are drawn to comics and graphic novels because they are more accessible than higher level text, which is a great stepping stone for beginning and struggling readers, and I think this book would be no exception! I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-10 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!