The Tree In Me (and you)

Happy Arbor Day, Friends!
I certainly believe that trees are worth celebrating. My yard is full of them. We have redwoods, pines, dogwoods, olives, figs, and a palm tree! Quite and assortment, don’t you think?
So, when I saw this book at my local Indie, I knew it needed to come home with me. Let me share:

 

THE TREE IN ME
By Corinna Luyken
Dial Books 2021
Picture book for ages 4-7 (but really for everyone who loves trees)
Themes: Trees, nature, emotions
Setting: In and around trees

 

The story begins…

The tree in me

is part apple

part orange-pear-almond-plum

(part yummm),

What child doesn’t love a tree? In THE TREE IN ME, we see children reveling in all that is good and wonderful about trees and how all those things are part of them. This stunning picture book takes the abstract idea that we are all a part of nature and conveys it so that children will understand by showing images of children playing on and around trees and seeing seeds, blossoms, roots, and branches.

 

The illustrations are full of movement done in bright pinks, soft greys and golden yellows, not colors normally associated with trees but conveying everything a tree can be. It actually reminds me of my own childhood.

This is a lovely book to read aloud with deceptively sparse poetic text that is rich in sound and emotion. It reminds us that we are all like trees with sun and shade, strength and resilience.

Because there is

a tree,

and a sky,

and a sun

in me,

I can see

that there is also

a tree…

in you.

Here’s a photo of my daughter, Roxanne, many years ago. She loved this oak tree so much that she spend a week observing it. She did bark rubbings, leaf pressings, and measured it – 18 feet 7 inches. I should go see how large it is now. She even wrote a book about it.

 

So, I suggest you and your little ones go spend some time around trees and remember what truly wonderful miracles they are.

Clio Lee Aydelott, was an opera star who married the man who ranched in our area. Famous people stopped to overnight between San Francisco and Los Angeles and stayed at the Aydelott Ranch. According to neighborhood lore, Joyce Kilmer was one of the visitors and wrote this poem while there. I’m not sure about this but the oaks are amazing.