Hum of the Heartwood is a flowing, second-person ecojustice story for readers aged seven to eleven. A child steps out of their present and into an ancient Atlantic rainforest. There, they do not face a heroic challenge to overcome but are instead invited to connect with nature. Guided by bees, mosses, mushrooms, and a forest elder, the child learns that being present and sharing memories is a powerful kind of courage.
The story draws on insights from children who took part in Scotland’s Citizens’ Climate Assembly and from the author’s research on children’s rights and environmental justice. Children describe a deep but painful bond with nature, expressing feelings of grief and pressure to solve a problem they did not cause. This story foregrounds their reflections and important contributions.
The narrative is also underpinned by the Scots Gaelic concept of dùthchas, where people, places, and more-than-human beings are bound together through mutual responsibilities. The story unfolds through layered forest scenes, from a hum beneath the trees and a guide emerging from the oak heartwood to a fire beside a poisoned stream. Calming colours and rich textures invite stillness, reflection, and attunement.
Rooted in specific landscapes and cultural traditions, Hum of the Heartwood speaks to children everywhere who live with environmental change. It offers them presence, memory, and the comfort of knowing they are not alone.
View the full Storyboard:
(click on individual panel for close-up)
Sophia Georgescu
is the holder of a funded PhD studentship at the University of Stirling, where she takes a participatory and creative approach to researching education and biodiversity loss in schools. She has a wealth of experience in facilitating child participation in environmental decision-making, citizen assemblies and policymaking. She can also be found outside encountering other species through play-based youth and circus work, and environmental education.
Magdalena Adomeit
is a children’s book illustrator from Germany. She spends her time working with analogue and digital creations to bring child and youth literature, stories and other publications to life. She has a breadth of experience across illustration mediums, geographies, and land-based work from years of travel around Europe and abroad. She is, therefore, especially passionate about exploration, imagination, play, and wonder. This is reflected in her creative but ecology-based illustration of the Hum of the Heartwood.
Curious ?
Contact us:
Sophia: Magdalena: mags.illustrations@gmail.com