The Peach King by Inga Simpson, illustrated by Tannya Harricks

Title: The Peach King

Author: Inga Simpson, illustrated by Tannya Harricks

Genre: Fable

Publisher: Hachette/Lothian Children’s Books

Published: 30^th September 2025

Format: Hardback

Pages: 32

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: A contemporary fable about the resilience of nature from Inga Simpson, one of Australia’s leading nature writers, with paintings by acclaimed illustrator Tannya Harricks.

When Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard – the Peach King.

As seasons pass, bringing cycles of change, Little Peach Tree grows and grows.

But darker changes are stirring. Soon rain is scarce, the forests turn brown, animals flee, and the sky turns red.

To protect the orchard, the Peach King faces grave danger and Little Peach Tree must find their voice.

~*~

Inga Simpson is probably more well-known for her adult books like Willowman and The Thinning, but her latest release is a picture book fable for children, and readers of all ages. The Peach King protects the orchard through every season, and through all the weather. Little Peach Tree is growing through the seasons, watching The Peach King. But as darker days approach bringing drought and fire, the peach trees are thrust into disaster beneath red skies. And it seems they will never recover, until Little Peach Tree finds their voice.

Inga Simpson’s latest picture book navigates the implications of climate change, drought and fire for children. It’s a gentle examination of nature and how nature feels and responds to the world around them. She looks at what it takes to protect a community and find your voice, and the sacrifices people make to keep communities and families safe. It touches on similar themes to Inga’s most recent novel, The Thinning, and is more like a fable, as it is very metaphorical and ethereal. It doesn’t mention specific terms, but turns the words drought and fire into lyrical and poetic language that dances off the page.

Talking about climate change, bush fires and droughts is becoming important and prevalent in literature these days. Climate change is such a topical issue that bringing to our attention in any way possible should help people understand it more. Inga’s author’s note at the back of the book outlines where the story came from originally. It started as a fairy tale in her first novel, Mr Wigg. But it was Black Summer on the NSW south coast in the months leading into COVID that helped bring this book into being. It was a time when people were evacuating, when they had very few resources, and had to rely on the basics that they could scrape together. Inga’s experiences during this time and what she discovered about orchards being destroyed months later formed the essence of this book. It explores an aspect of our world gently, speaking to readers of all ages as everyone tries to grapple with what is happening in the world.

Sometimes, the forceful, over the top or vague-sounding novels might not get a message across. There will be times a quieter story, or a story that meets readers where their knowledge base is, or that sets things out neatly and in accessible ways that explains things nicely will be more effective. Each have their place, because there are audiences out there for all types of these books. And each of these books can complement each other. It’s easier to start with picture books or other books that set things out in easy-to-understand ways at times. These sort of books have certainly added something to my understanding of issues that are complicated or that have many threads to untangle. Reading a combination of these books can help create a wider and deeper understanding of issues like climate change. This one shows what climate change might look like from the perspective of nature and how nature is impacted, which really makes the consequences and impacts hit him in a different way than many other books that touch on the same theme. This is a unique book that will spark conversations and questions about the world around us for readers of all ages.